Fifty Shades Forever
by FlyingPages934
Summary: As Christian and Anastasia Grey build a happy life together with their children, their past keeps coming back to haunt them. Their lives become at stake which also puts their children in danger. It comes to the point that they think all will be lost forever. Will it? Can they have a happy ending? Find out throughout their twisted desires to uncover it. Warning: M for sexual scenes!
1. Chapter 1 - Lost

**A/N: Hi there! Welcome to my story. I hope you enjoy and that it is error free. I try my best to spell words correctly and not have any typos or grammar mistakes. I hope it is a fascinating read to those who like Fifty Shades. I wanted to create a story with Ana and Christian and their family, so here it is!**

 **To tell me if you like the story, please review! I love it. And pm me if you'd like.** **Happy reading ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **Lost**

 **Wednesday, 16th August 2017 **

**Christian**

* * *

Hours.

It's been fucking eight and a half hours and there's no sign or trace of Anastasia. I've ordered multiple people combing the streets to search for her, and so far they have found nothing. Up to twenty times I've called her and it goes straight to voicemail. I've messaged her with no replies or tick that it's been read.

 _Where the fuck is she?_

The last I heard from her was at 12:45pm today when she emailed me from work. After that, there were no more replies to my emails or calls. I am anxious and fucking mad. Mad that she is gone. Mad that she can't obey one single order to use security. Because of my unease, I can't handle staying home anymore, so I had stormed out to look for her. And right now my thoughts are too haywire to take care of my children calmly so I had ordered Mrs. Jones to look after them.

So for the past seven hours, I've been driving around Seattle like a maniac, trying to calm myself down. Because of my stress and anger, I almost want to punish Ana when or _if_ she comes home. If.

 _Do not think about that, Grey, not now. She will come home, just be patient._

But I am not patient, never have been.

 _Fuck. Where is she?_

It's late, 11:45pm, and dark. The Seattle lights twinkle in my vision as I try to concentrate on the task at hand – driving. Even doing a simple action like this is difficult.

Blinking back my tears, I pull over next to a row of stores to calm my wild thoughts down. All the "what ifs" pop into my mind and I think I may go crazy.

What if she got kidnapped? What if she got hurt? What if the baby got hurt? Has she gone to meet someone? Stuck in traffic? Got caught up in too much work? Well, obviously not because I've called her workplace and they said she had left. Is she just angry with me? Needs a break from me? No, she would have called or texted. Something is definitely wrong, because she always tells me when she isn't feeling one hundred percent. Well, _almost_ always. She would have picked her phone up by now. So, what if she did get kidnapped? How am I supposed to find her? What if she never gets found? What if she never comes back? What if she's _dead_?

 _Ahh!_

I bang my hands on my steering wheel, breathing hard, and then brush them over my face and into my hair. Leaning my elbows on the wheel, I cover my face with my hands and let my emotion pour over me. I don't usually cry so it's partially surreal.

 _Where are you, Mrs. Grey? I want you back, please come back. I cannot live without you. I feel empty without you. Please. Come back._

After what seems like an eternity, my phone rings and I look up the dashboard and see it's 12:07pm. I wipe away my tears and answer on second ring hands-free. It's Mrs. Jones.

"Grey."

"Mr. Grey, I think you should come home right away." She sounds shaky.

"What is it?" I demand, starting my car up.

"I…" She hesitates and sniffs as though she's been crying. "I…I can't explain now…just please come home."

"I'm on my way."

There's a silence and more sniffling. I can't contain my concern.

"Mrs. Jones, what's going on? Is Ana back? Please tell me."

"Yes, sir, she is back," she says, worry tracing her voice.

Oh thank the Lord. She's back. My sweet Ana is back.

"Thank God, who found her? Is she okay?" I am desperate and impatient as I have to stop at yet another red light.

"Um, she came home herself, sir," she says and I am uneasy about the strain in her tone. "She's…" she hesitates and blows her nose on a tissue before continuing, "she's safe is all I can say."

"Mrs. Jones, tell me what the hell is wrong with her." I am panicky again.

Gail hesitates for a while, and finally finds her voice. "She's in a bit of a shock and she looks…oh God…she looks…I can't say. Not over the phone. She won't tell me anything. As soon as she walked into the door and saw me, she ran into bathroom. She won't answer me. I can…I can hear her crying and that's all." I speed up as she speaks and my anxiety goes over the rail.

 _What. The. Fuck?_

My breathing is rapid. "I'll meet you soon, I'm almost home."

"Okay, sir." I hang up, concentrating on driving the last two minutes home.

I pull up and press a number into the keypad to open the gate of our home. When it is open wide enough to fit my car, I race through, skidding to a stop outside the house.

Panting from my stress, I rush to open the front door and meet the teary-eyed Mrs. Jones sitting on the couch in the living room. Phoebe, who is two years old turning three in a month and Theodore, five years old, are currently playing with Mr. Truffles, our grey kitten, Moony, our black one and Bunny, our white one. We adopted them all from a rescue shelter.

When my kids peek up, they both smile and come running up to me, yelling, "Daddy!"

I am glad to see that my children are safe.

 _My_ children. Ana's and my children. I can never fully grasp that fact.

I hug my children back as they wrap their arms around my waist. I look up at Gail, needing answers.

"Where is she?" I breathe, my voice raspy.

"Upstairs," she croaks. "In the bathroom. She hasn't come out yet."

"How long ago did she come home?"

"About ten minutes ago. Five minutes when I called you."

With that, I kiss each of my children on their heads, telling them to go back to playing, and rush upstairs. I hear the sound of crying before I reach the bathroom door. I curse when I have trouble picking the lock.

"Ana?" I breathe through the door, still panicky.

She gasps and silence falls.

"Are you okay, baby?" _Of course, she isn't, Grey!_ I chastise myself. _She's crying!_

"D-don't c-come in," is all she says. She sounds as if she's in shock.

"Why not?" I growl. Like hell I won't. "I've been so worried for hours! You didn't answer my emails or phone calls for eight fucking hours. Eight, Ana. Where the fuck have you been? What happened?" I run my hands through my hair in frustration, having trouble calming my flaring temper.

I am so mad.

She sniffs a few times and says, "I know, I'm sorry."

"Ana, please open the door."

"No." Her voice is full of fear. I hate hearing her upset. What has happened to her to make her thus?

"Ana, open the damn door," I say through clenched teeth. "I won't ask you again."

"Y-you'll freak out. I don't want you to see me."

My heart tightens. I take a deep breath. "I'm going to see you when you come out anyway – unless you intend on staying in there for the rest of your life." I hope she doesn't think about doing that. That would kill me. I would have the door open by then anyway. "Open the door, Ana." My anger is rising.

After a moment, I hear the door "click" and I open it and walk in to find Ana leaning against the bathroom bench, her face in her hands. Her t-shirt and pants are off, only her bra and panties still on. It is an arousing sight but I am too distracted by shock. Several bruises and cuts dripping blood cover her body.

 _What. The. Fuck. What the hell happened to her?!_


	2. Chapter 2 - Scars

**A/N: I hope you like the story so far, hope there is no more mistakes in spelling and grammar. Apologies for long chapters XD and also if some words are in UK English and not American, as I am Australian and started writing in my own English language. So there may be words such as gray which is grey instead. Sorry! Hope you still enjoy, and thank you for those who like it.**

 **Please send reviews! It will help me :3**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 **Scars**

 **Wednesday, 16th August 2017**

 **Christian**

* * *

Closing the door behind me, I rush over to her and pull her hands aside so I can see her face. I lift her chin up and look into her puffy-red eyes.

"Ana, what the fuck happened?" I demand, anxiety gripping me.

She shakes her head, looking down, and bites her lip. I pull her chin to free her lip and she looks back up at me.

"I-I can't say."

"Why?"

"You'll be too angry."

That makes me feel even worse.

"I don't fucking care," I growl, clenching my hands at my sides. I am already angry. "You're covered in bruises and gore and you want me to just forget it? I don't think so. Tell me, Ana. Now."

She studies my face for a while, seeming very reluctant to tell me.

"Anastasia…" I warn.

She takes a deep shuddering breath. "Well…once I finished work, I drove over to a bar for a quick drink to think about things and…" Fear crosses her features and she drops her head, averting her gaze from my powerful one. "There was this guy that began talking to me."

All my questions about her appearance and absence are answered and a sudden wave of fear and outright rage courses through me.

Ana hurries on before I can speak. "I was only being friendly with him and didn't give much information away when he asked questions about the day and if I worked and where I was going afterwards. I…I finally said good-bye and began to walk back to my car but he followed me and grabbed me. I couldn't fight him off, his grip was too strong. He pulled me into this abandoned alley and tried to…"

She gulped and a shudder and a sob ran through her. Her eyes fill with tears and she closes them to hold her emotion back. "He tried to take my clothes off and I knew he was going to rape me or something."

 _Fuck no!_ It's worse than I ever imagined.

"It's lucky that I had the knowledge to fight well. But when I did he brought out a knife and began to cut me and punch me whenever I tried to escape. I was too scared to scream so I kicked him in the groin and ran. I ran and didn't stop. So eventually I got a bit lost and had to go back to get my car, confirmed that he was gone." She took a shaky breath and looked back up at me. "I…I'm so sorry Christian, my phone was dead, I didn't know you were trying to call. I'm so, so sorry."

I can barely contain my fury. Right now I can't move. Closing my eyes, I breathe in and out, shaking, trying to calm my anger. I pinch the bridge of my nose.

That man is fucking dead. He will be, and I will hunt him down till he is in hell. How _dare_ he touch my wife? How fucking _dare_ he? He will pay.

"C-Christian, please calm down. I-I'm okay now…"

I can't look at her, my eyes blaring at the ground.

"That man is fucking _dead_!" I shout, banging my hand on the bathroom bench. Ana flinches. I brush my hands through my hair in frustration, trying to calm my temper. "I will kill him. I will rip him apart limb from limb, and throw him in hell." I whip back around to look at Ana. "Tell me who the hell he is."

Ana hesitates, wide-eyed, frightened by my outburst.

"I-I don't know."

"This is what happens when you defy me!" I shout at her, unable to keep my voice calm. She cringes and cowers away from me. "Goddamit! You will use security next time, all the time. Do you hear me?"

Ana stays silent, wide-eyed and shaking.

"Do you hear me?" I growl louder and she flinches but nods frantically.

"Y-yes, I understand." Ana is breathing hard and crying again, so I sigh and pull her into my arms, holding her close to me. I nuzzle my face into her hair, inhaling her sweet, sweet scent. God, she smells amazing. If I just hold her for a while, I can calm down. She is my solace. Her body quakes harder and sobs rack her body as she wraps her arms around me, pressing her face into my shoulder. I clutch her more tightly and sway to soothe her.

"Shh, hush, baby." I kiss her head and close my eyes as she spills her emotions into me. "God, something could have happened to you. To the baby. I'm sorry I shouted at you. That was unjust of me. I should do better to control my temper. I'm sorry, Ana."

"I know. P-please don't be angry," she stutters shakily. "I-I promise I'll be more c-careful next time. I promise."

"I know. I'm sorry, Ana, it was my fault –"

"Christian, don't blame this on yourself –"

"I do, because I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"I forgive you, Christian. God, I'm so stupid! I shouldn't have gone on my own like that, I-I…" But another round of sobs rack her body, halting her sentence.

"Shh," I say. "You're not stupid, Ana." I sway her back and forth, no longer wanting to talk. I can't speak anymore. I can only hold her. I just want to hold her. Where she is safe in my arms. For a time, I stroke her hair repeatedly, calming us both.

"Hush, now," I murmur a few moments later and kiss the top of her head once more. As she weeps into me, her arms tight around my waist, I brush my hand down her back and flinches, wincing.

"Are you okay?" I ask softly. I frown, pained.

She nods. "It's just the cuts."

I shake my head in another wave of disbelief and anger. "We have to get you to a hospital. Now."

"Christian, no," she whines, shaking her head.

"Don't argue about this, Anastasia," I complain, exasperated. Frustrating, she can be sometimes. I take her hand and pull her toward the door but she balks. I glare at her. _Grrr, why must she be so difficult?_

"Please, it's not that bad." What looks like fear crosses her wounded, teary face. Why doesn't she want to get cleaned and fixed up? "Can we tend the injuries here? I don't want to go out anywhere now."

Scrutinizing her for a while, I finally realize that she is simply too scared and exhausted from this evening's episode and wants to stay. Needs to stay. Besides, I loathe hospitals. They are noisy, a maze, you have to wait for hours before being allowed to visit your injured or sick loved ones and you don't always get the answers you want right away.

I nod, kiss her forehead and brush her hair behind her ear. There is one cut on her left cheek and I clench my teeth at the sight.

My poor, sweet Ana.

Carefully, I hoist her up onto the bench and open the medicine cabinet that sits above the sink behind the mirror, where I fetch out a few antiseptic wipes, cream and bandages. Gently, I apply the wipes to the cut on her face and clean most of it, and then move to the ones on both of her arms. Each time she winces, my heart clenches with remorse, and anger rattles over me. When I move to the deepest on her right arm she cries out and snatches her arm away.

"I'm sorry, baby," I breathe and lean over to kiss her forehead. I lift her chin up and touch my lips to hers for a sweet kiss. It instantly turns hungry and desire settles through me. We are both breathing rapidly when I pull away. I look into her eyes, pleading as I brush my thumb across her bottom lip. "Please try to keep still. It will be over in a second. I promise I'll be careful." Her forehead creases but she holds out her arm again and I continue to clean it, gently dabbing at the wound. She closes her eyes tightly until I finish.

"All done," I say and she opens her eyes to smile at me. I brush her uncut cheek. "My brave Anastasia."

She will need a bath first before I apply cream and bandages so I walk over to the bath and turn the faucet on. As it fills, I look back to my wife with sad eyes.

"I wish this never happened to you." I sound strained.

Ana frowns and bites her lip. "Christian, please don't feel bad. I'm fine. Just a little shaken and sore, is all. I'll be better tomorrow." She gives me a small reassuring smile which I can't return.

Once the bath is filled, I turn the tap off and hold out my hand to Ana. "Come." She grabs my hand and slides off the bench, wincing as she does.

"Be careful!" I scold, stressing.

Ana grimaces.

Slowly, I pull down her panties, bending down as I do, until they reach her feet, and she steps out of them. Peering up at her, I make a trail of kisses up her right leg and stop at the silken nest of hair between her legs. She is panting deliciously. I do the same to her other leg and this time lick the flesh between her legs. It is dripping wet already. She gasps.

God, she smells and tastes divine.

"You taste glorious, Mrs. Grey," I say, my voice low and husky. I continue to lick her, this time on her clitoris and she moans and slides her hands through my hair, grasping at it, as the sensations between her legs become too much to bear. Yet she lets me devour her, pushing herself into my face as my tongue strokes her.

Satisfied for now, I pull away and stand in front of her, then reach around her to unclip her bra. She pulls on her cute pouty face which I know is because I stopped. I can't contain a smirk. I kiss her chastely.

"All in good time, Mrs. Grey." I slide her bra straps off her shoulders and drop it to the floor. I gaze up and down her body, and despite the cuts and bruises, I grow hard at the sight of her. I missed her so much during that eight hours.

 _Fuck, she is so hot._

"I missed you," I say and kiss her forehead. "So much."

"Me too." She smiles and I smile warmly back at her.

Quickly, I take off my jacket and button-up t-shirt, hurrying through the buttons. With a coquettish look, licking her lips, Anastasia unzips my fly and undoes the button of my jeans. Aroused, I grab her face for a deep kiss. She moans, tasting me as I taste her. Slowly, she pulls down my jeans, along with my boxers and bends down. She looks up at me under her lashes, and I know she's going to give me payback.

I draw in a shaky breath as her tongue strokes the head of my cock, over and over again. My erection grows even more when she takes me into her mouth and begins to suck, hard.

"Fuck, Ana," I rasp, clutching her head. I flex my hips and hit the back of her mouth and she closes her throat around me in response. She continues to suck and lick me around and around, up and down, until the sensation becomes too much and I feel my groin tighten.

"Ana, please, stop…"

She doesn't.

"Ana," I warn, gritting my teeth.

Still, she keeps going.

Groaning, I pick her up and kiss her, thrusting my tongue into her mouth. My desire for her grows; she tastes like me. Ana moans and I can feel rather than see her smile against my lips. I brush her cheek softly, gazing into her bright blue, warm eyes. She sure is a marvel.

"Come." I hold out my hand and lead her to the bath. She steps in and sits down and I follow suit, sitting behind her. I pull her into me, between my legs and kiss her neck a few times till I reach her earlobe and bite it. She gasps.

"You are so desirable," I whisper in her ear. Grabbing a wash cloth, I begin to wash my beautiful wife's legs, up her torso to her breasts where I linger for a while. She moans and tips her head back onto me, making me smile. Ever so gently, I dab the cloth over her cuts on her arms and she winces, her hands clenching.

"Try to stay still – it will be over soon, baby."

Once I finish washing her face, I reward her by washing between her legs. She moans, relaxing into me and so I surprise her by using my hands. I slip a finger into her folds and gasp at the easiness. _Man, she is wet._

"You're always so ready, Ana." I kiss her ear and watch as her mouth opens when I thrust two fingers into her. "You deserve an orgasm. You've pleased me today. But then again, you please me every day, so I probably would have given you relief anyway."

She giggles. God, I love that sound.

"Probably?"

I laugh, too, knowing that I definitely would have, like I do every day. "Good point well made, as ever, Mrs. Grey."

Anastasia suddenly sighs and I ask her what's wrong.

"I'm just still not used to being called Mrs. Grey, even after all these years."

I smile. "Mmm, well I won't stop. Because I own you. You are mine, you got that?" I whisper the last part into her ear and she shudders. I thrust my fingers into her and she sucks in a sharp breath.

"Yes, yours," she breathes. "Always."

"And I am yours."

I wrap my free arm around her tighter and begin flicking my finger over her clitoris.

"Ah!"

She pushes her hips into my hand.

"Give it to me, baby," I growl, speeding up my movements.

I watch as she pants and opens her mouth, tipping her head back into me, looking ever so erotic. I eventually feel the squeezing of her interior muscles clenching in orgasm.

 _Good girl._

I imagine being inside her right at this minute and then think of when she sucked me. Those lips around me in the shape of an _O_.

 _Oh, God._

I have to get out of the bath right away and put my love to bed before I lose all control and fuck her. She is too sore to have sex tonight, and I have promised myself I will wait until she heals.

Once she calms down, I pull my fingers out of her and suck the arousal off my fingers.

Holy Christ does it taste good.

Ana's eyes widen as she watches me.

I smile smugly. "Come, I want to get you to bed – you need to heal."

Ana smiles and, after quickly washing myself, I stand up and step out of the bath, helping Ana step out with me. I wrap a towel around me and give her one. Once we are both dry, I point to the bathroom bench.

"Sit," I order and she obeys, hoisting herself up onto the bench.

 _Good girl._

I grab the cream, squeeze some onto my hand and rub it over her cuts and bruises gently. Thankfully no cuts are deep enough to need stitches. Amazingly, she keeps still, even when I touch her deepest cut. I wrap each cut in bandages and hold them into place with a safety pin.

She drops from the bench – slowly this time – and smiles at me. "Thank you." I give her a smile and hold her hand as we walk out.

"Always a pleasure looking after you, Mrs. Grey."

oOoOoOo

Once we're in our bedroom, I give her a deep kiss, desire flashing through me once more.

 _Stop Grey, you need to make a call first._ _Besides, she's too beaten up to make love. You know that._

I sigh at the realization.

Reluctantly, I pull away. My stern face is back on. "What did the guy look like?"

Ana blinks and frowns for a moment. "He looked in his forties with black hair and a sharp face. He had brown eyes and a muscular build. That's all I can remember." My jaw clenches. Anastasia looks down at her fingers and seems sad.

This bastard made her like this. I want to scream and throw him across the room. I want to kill him. But of course I can't. I have to stay calm. Besides, it won't make any of us feel better. I don't like the sound of being a murderer, especially if my kids know.

 _Get a grip, Grey._

"Hey," I say and lift Ana's chin up. I make an effort to soften my expression. "We'll sort this out, okay?"

She nods, reassured and reaches up for a kiss. I respond before letting go and saying that I have to make a call.

Wrapping the towel securely around my waist, I leave the room and head into my office. I call Welch and then Taylor.

"Sir?"

My anger settles in. "I need you to track down this man." I tell Taylor his appearance but say I don't know his name. "Welch is on it too. This guy was in a bar closest to where Ana works. Got that?"

"Yes, sir. Is everything alright?"

I huff. "No. That fucking –" I stop myself and take a deep breath to calm down. "The bastard bashed Anastasia up and tried to rape her. I want to kill him but I know that isn't the right thing to do so I want him in a jail cell at the least."

"Yes, sir. I'll see what I can do." There's silence. "Is…is Mrs. Grey okay, sir?"

"She says she is but she's clearly not. Still shocked, I think."

"I hope she feels better soon. Pass my wish over to her, please. And calm down, Mr. Grey. You sound out of control."

I laugh, a choked-off sound. "I feel out of control. Just please kick that bastard's ass in jail, and soon."

"On it, sir."

"Good-bye."

"Good-bye, Mr Grey."

I hang up and place my phone back on my desk. When I walk out I see Theodore peering up at me with those blue eyes of his. He has his mother's eyes.

"Are you okay, Daddy? Is Mommy okay?"

"Yes, kiddo, we're fine." I manage to give him a smile as I bend to pick him up. He's grown big quickly. "No need to worry."

Theodore giggles. "Why are you in a towel?"

I smile wider and walk down the hall to his room. "Because I had a bath and didn't change. I had to call someone."

Theodore laughs the cute laugh of his again. "You look funny." He yawns. He needs sleep.

"Do I now?" I tickle him and he giggles and tries to squirm away from me when I place him on his bed. "Bed, now. Sleep."

He pouts.

"Don't give me that look. If I see you up playing, you'll get into trouble." He falls silent and quickly hides under the covers. I chuckle and pull them off him.

"Can you read me a bedtime story first?"

I cock my head to the side and contemplate.

"Just one!" He pleads me with his big adorable puppy-dog eyes. "Pwease, Daddy?"

I sigh, but smile and grab a book from his bookshelf. "Just one," I reply and sit down on his bed.

He smiles his big toothy grin and snuggles up next to me. I wrap one arm around him and pull him onto my lap.

Unfortunately, I had grabbed _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_ , and that isn't a particularly short book. I frown.

 _Dammit, Grey._

Shaking my head, I begin to read, knowing that Ted will fall asleep after two chapters. I'm right. After partway through the second chapter, my bouncing boy falls asleep in my arms.

"Tired little fellow," Anastasia says from the doorway, wearing what I can see is my t-shirt. It looks like she chucked on something underneath it but I can't see exactly what.

Damn. She likes to make it harder for me to take her.

She's smiling at me warmly, happy to see her husband and son bonding. I grin back at her as she saunters over to our son and kisses him on his head.

Carefully, I shift him down onto his bed and pull the covers over him. Theodore awakens, looking up at us sleepily. Bending down to kiss his forehead, I say good-night.

"Good night, Daddy." He yawns again.

Ana caresses his cheek. "Good night, my little monkey."

Ted reaches up and gives his mommy a tight hug and a big "smack" of a kiss on her cheek. "Good night, Mommy."

She smiles and I smile at them interacting. I love them so much.

"Now to say good-night to the little one," I sigh. What fun, trying to put the kids to bed and make them stay there.

"Don't worry," Ana says. "I already read to her, while you were reading to Ted."

"So, she's in bed?"

"Yes. Hopefully she'll sleep – lately she's been hyperactive."

I chuckle. "I think Teddy more so."

"True," Ana sighs. "He'll be starting pre-school soon… Hard to believe."

"It is, really. Come." I hold her hand. As we walk out, Ana turns on Theodore's dancing night-light with music and walks out, leaving the door ajar.

I follow Ana to Phoebe's room and we are shocked to see her not in her cot. She must have worked out how to unlock the thing.

I freak out a little and Ana grumbles. I think I'm scared of Phoebe running away and getting lost, too. I'm desperate for some much needed sleep.

"Where'd that little one go?" she sighs, searching the room.

Ana catches my panicked face and caresses my cheek.

"Don't panic, Christian, she'll be in the house." She rolls her eyes at me and smiles. "So overprotective, you are."

I smirk at her and lean down to whisper in her ear. "Did you just roll your eyes at me, Mrs. Grey?"

Ana stiffens and shudders. "No…" She bites her lip. I raise my eyebrows at her, amused. She feigns innocence. "I didn't. You must be imagining things."

My gaze grows hotter. "And now you're biting your lip. Come. We better get this daughter of ours to bed, so I can deal with my disobedient wife."

Ana struggles to hide a smile as we walk out.

Downstairs, we see Phoebe playing with the cats, giggling that cute laugh of hers. Mrs. Jones is laughing now, no longer upset. Her face marks concern as she looks up at us and studies Ana.

"I'm okay," Ana replies Mrs. Jones' unspoken question.

"I'm glad. You gave me such a fright."

Anastasia smiles and apologizes.

Ana and I look at Phoebe and raise our eyebrows.

Ana puts her hands on her hips. "Hey little missy, what do you think you're still doing up?"

Phoebe giggles and tries to hide under the coffee table.

"Oh, no you don't." Ana manages to pull her out and Phoebe squeals. I shake my head at my daughter.

Cheeky little thing she is.

Ana picks up Phoebe and we both say good-night to Mrs. Jones as we leave.

Upstairs, we tuck Phoebe into her cot, make sure the cot rail is locked properly, and both kiss her forehead.

"Good night, my little one," Ana whispers and Phoebe smiles.

"Good night, Momma." She reaches up for a kiss on the cheek.

"Good night, darling," I say, smiling. Then I gaze at her warily. "No more coming out. Sleep. You don't want me to catch you out of bed again."

Phoebe nods, looking down. "Sowwy."

Ana and I both smile and I kiss her head.

"Good night, Momma, Daddy."

We switch her dancing nightlight on with music, like Theodore's, and close her bedroom door.

We each let out a sigh of relief simultaneously and laugh. As I stare at her, burning with desire, she gives me a knowing smile.

"What?" she asks innocently.

I pin her with my dark predatory stare.

"Come," I take her hand and lead her down the hallway. "Bed."

Ana giggles and sashays into the room in front of me, waving her hips from side to side. On the way, she undoes my t-shirt from her and drops it onto the floor. I gasp and stop in the doorway.

oOoOoOo

She is wearing the fucking sexiest, black and lacy lingerie outfit I've ever seen.

My cock twitches in response.

 _Holy fuck._

It looks fairly new. I haven't seen her in it, for sure, new or not.

My eyes are wide, my mouth is open, and I almost drool at the sight. I stand frozen, goggling at her as she spins in a slow circle so I get _every_ view of her and stops to face me.

Anastasia cocks her head at me bashfully.

"What's wrong, Mr. Grey?" she asks sweetly.

I glare at her, desire written clearly on my face. No, we can't have sex tonight.

"Don't play games with me, Mrs. Grey." My voice is husky.

"Me? Play games?" She laughs harmoniously. "Never."

Her smug smile is God damn erotic.

And she bites her lip.

I suck in a breath and close our bedroom door quickly, locking it.

"You are so in trouble," I say, my mouth set in a grim line.

Ana looks at me with a slight frown, taken aback.

"What did I do?"

I raise my eyebrows. "For one, you are teasing me in that fucking sexy outfit of yours. Two, you have rolled your eyes at me and bit your lip countless times this week and avoided letting me punish you for it in every cheeky way of yours. And lastly, you were missing for over eight hours and I was in hell, thinking you were dead. I told you to use security, Ana, but you refused. You know, Taylor is mad at you, too."

Ana stares at me, shock, regret and sadness written across her face.

"I-I'm sorry. I wanted to drive my r8 alone." She frowns, gnawing on her lip once more. "I didn't expect that event to happen…"

I couldn't stay mad at her for long, especially when she was acting the way she was in that Goddamn outfit. I shake my head and smile.

"I only need one thing to feel better."

Ana shifts, tightening her thighs and bites her lip yet again.

I feel my cock jerk in anticipation again and that's my undoing.

 _Enough._

My desire reaches its peak and I rush to her, pulling her into a deep, hungry kiss. She gets over her surprise and responds, wrapping her arms around me. I pull away from her only to undo the many obstacles of lace and zips to get that damn thing off of her. Both our breathing accelerates and I groan internally when the outfit drops to the floor and her naked form stares back at me.

She is glorious to look at.

"You look mighty fine, Mrs. Grey," I breathe, my voice raw with clear lust. I trail kisses along her jaw and stroke her sides, smiling at her moaning.

Suddenly, Anastasia walks towards the bed and I get a view of her marvellous bare back and behind.

I want to make her behind pink…so bad…

 _Grey! Watch it. Stow your twitching palms._

Ana sighs. "I know you want to spank me," she whispers over her shoulder, taking me by surprise. She smiles and bends down over the bed, her bare, perfectly-round arse in the air, facing me. "Here."

 _Oh my God, she's_ letting _me!_

I stare at her behind for a while and I am momentarily stunned. She always lets me do it to her, but never straight-out asks for it. No, no, no, she needs to heal!

"Ana, with your cuts, I may hurt –"

"They're not on my butt though. It'll be fine," she reassures me. "Besides, you've wanted to punish me for ages."

God, yes I have.

 _No, get a grip, Grey!_

I sigh and pull her up into my arms as I sit on the bed. "Ana, no. Not tonight."

"Why?" she whines.

"Because you need to heal. Surely you're sore?"

She sighs in defeat. "Yes, okay. But I wanted to –"

I put a finger on her lips to silent her. "Shh, I promise we'll make love once you are healed. Okay? I'm just going to hurt you and possibly cause more bruises. Some cuts are pretty deep."

"But –"

"Ana, please. You look exhausted, I'm exhausted; let's just get some sleep. As much as I'd love to spank and fuck you, you need rest." I steal a kiss and smile at her. She smiles back and agreeing, crawls under the covers. I follow her, tucking us both in and pulling her close to me, careful not to touch her wounds. That's when I realise we're naked.

No – too tempting.

I jump out of bed and Ana sits up, confused.

"We need to get dressed – you naked is doing things to me." My eyes are ablaze and she smirks and looks between my legs at my stiff erection.

"Mmm, I can see that." She gets out of bed and walks over to our walk-in-wardrobe, moving her arse side to side as she goes. She's doing that on purpose.

 _Fuck_. That arse.

I shake my head and looking away, walk to our wardrobe, quickly chucking on some tracksuit pants and a loose t-shirt. I chuck the same wear of Ana's over to her, and she catches it with a smile. She ever so slowly – trying my patience and turning me on even more – gets dressed before heading back into bed. I follow her and tuck us in once more. Turning off the bedside table lamp, we settle down. I lean down under the covers and press a kiss to her slightly protruding stomach. I hear Ana gasp. Then I pull my head back out from the covers and grin at her before stealing her mouth into a deep kiss.

"Sweet dreams, Anastasia."

"You too, Christian. I love you," she whispers.

I smile. "I love you, too."


	3. Chapter 3 - Picnic

**Chapter Three**

 **Picnic**

 **Thursday, 17th August 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

I wake as the familiar light off the sun shines through our bedroom window. Blinking my eyes open, I see the blind open – the sun is out, though the sky looks overcast. I feel groggy. And sore, very sore. I wince as I try and sit up. I need to pee. Really bad. I look to my side and around the room to find an absent Christian. Hmm, I wonder vaguely where he's gone off to. I see the time is 10:35. Shit, I slept a lot. Why didn't Christian wake me? I am too tired to move, but my bladder is getting annoyingly uncomfortable.

Quickly, I rush to the bathroom and sit down on the toilet, sighing in relief. As I am relieving myself, I spot Christian standing in the bathroom doorway, gazing at me with an erotic smile. I jump, eyes wide.

"Christian!" I yelp, my voice high-pitched. I cover my legs with my pants and look for something to throw at him. _Why does he have to appear now?_

"Good morning, Mrs. Grey," he says casually, smirking at me. He leans against the threshold and crosses his arms. He looks very amused and hot as hell what with his bed-hair, a bare chest and pajama bottoms. He must have just woken up recently, or he would be showered and dressed in a suit. Isn't he going to work today?

"Get out!" I hiss, a flush coloring my cheeks in embarrassment. _Oh, why the hell is he watching me pee?_

He just smiles, amused, staring at me.

"Please?" I beg.

"Nope."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because is not an answer!"

He ignores me, still amused as he watches me. I groan and try my best to pretend he's not there.

Christian looks so happy for some reason, which is odd, because I got abused by a guy and almost got raped yesterday. Christian was so mad last night…or well before he bathed and bandaged me. It isn't normal for him, to be this happy when something like this happens to me. I decide to brush it off.

When I'm done, I reach for the toilet paper to wipe myself but Christian has the toilet roll in his hands, standing right in front of me. Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't realized he reached for it. He gazes at me intently and bends down to kiss my legs.

 _Shit, can he be sexy._

But I'm supposed to be irritated with him now.

"Christian, you have no sense of invading a woman's privacy," I scold, narrowing my eyes at him. "Would you mind leaving?"

He just smiles and hums, kissing my legs softly. I growl in annoyance and he peers up at me.

"You look gorgeous, Ana. You smell gorgeous." His eyes melt with love. Then he does the unexpected – he spreads my legs wide, pulls off a few pieces of toilet paper and reaches in. I gasp as he begins to wipe me and he grins with desire.

 _Fuck, this is arousing. So erotic._

"C-Christian," I stammer, my body squirming, reacting to his touch. I close my eyes and moan. "Oh, please." It feels so good…

"Hush," he soothes and kisses my knee. And he stops, much to my disappointment. He pops the toilet paper into the toilet and grins up at me. "There, I think that should do it. Go wash your hands now."

Ah, my bossy Fifty.

Dazed, I pull my pants up, flush the toilet and do as I'm told. He washes his hands, too.

"Aren't you going to work?" I ask, frowning.

He shakes his head. "No. I'm staying home with you."

"But, I'll be going to work."

His jaw clenches. "No, you won't."

"But –"

"No, Anastasia. Don't argue. You're taking a day off whether you like it or not. You need to rest and heal."

"Christian, I'll be fine!"

"Ana, no."

I scowl, knowing when he uses that tone and looks stern that I can't win this one.

"And don't scowl," he scolds, exasperated. I exhale, annoyed, but nod at him, agreeing. He smiles and gives me a swift, chaste kiss.

"Come," he says, and I grab his hand. "Breakfast time. Let's wake up the kids. Maybe we'll all spend some time in the meadow this afternoon."

I smile brightly as I follow him downstairs. "Sounds like a good idea."

Mrs. Jones has made us pancakes, bacon and eggs, with orange juice.

"Good morning, Mr. Grey, Mrs. Grey."

"Good morning, Mrs. Jones," Christian and I say simultaneously.

"We'll be eating shortly," Christian tells her.

"Okay, I shall have it ready in a moment," she says.

 _Mmm._ My mouth waters and my stomach grumbles when I catch a waft of the food.

Christian frowns momentarily.

"You sound quite hungry, Anastasia. When was the last time you ate?"

I flush. "Um…yesterday at lunch."

He frowns in disapproval. "Eat lots today, okay? You don't eat enough."

"Want me to become fat, Mr. Grey?" I smirk at him, playful.

He grins back, squeezing my hand. "I'd rather you slim. But I am hoping for well-shaped."

I raise an eyebrow. "Well-shaped?"

He shrugs, indifferent. "First word that popped into my mind." He smirks and kisses my head. "In between slim and fat."

"I see… Well, I'm pretty sure the word you're looking for is fit. But I'm glad you don't want me fat. I'm already fat due to this pregnancy." I pout.

"You're not fat, Ana."

"I am!"

He chuckles, shaking his head.

I walk back up the stairs towards Phoebe's room and Christian follows, walking past me into Theodore's room. I turn on Phoebe's light and hear her groan.

I smile and slide the crib door down. "Come on, pumpkin, wake up."

"No," she moans and covers her face under the blankets.

I laugh and pull them off her to meet sleepy blue eyes. She is definitely not a morning person. I stroke her hair as she blinks the sleep from her eyes. I look down at her bed and smile.

"We'll have to get you a big girl bed soon. Perhaps for your birthday. How about that?"

She grins and nods.

"Come on, out you get." I cock my head to the door and she pouts. "Mrs. Jones made pancakes."

Her face lights up instantly and she jumps out of bed, squealing and clapping.

Laughing, I pick her up and walk downstairs, watching Christian walk after me carrying Ted over his shoulders. Ted squeals and laughs.

"Daddy, put me down!"

Christian and I laugh and he puts Ted down at the dining table. I put Phoebe down next to him as Mrs. Jones serves them breakfast.

Christian takes my hand and suddenly pulls me into a sweet kiss, winding his hands through my hair. When he pulls back we're both breathless and he gazes at me with love. He walks me over and pulls out a chair for me to sit down in and he follows suit next to me, facing the kids. Christian is in high spirits today. I vaguely wonder why he's acting like this when he was so mad and stressed-out yesterday.

As soon as Mrs. Jones plates up, I dig in, smiling when the food tastes as mouth-watering as it smells. God, I'm hungry. Christian watches me with surprise, his fork in mid-air.

"What?" I ask, my mouth full.

"I don't normally see you this hungry," he replies, grinning and takes a bite of his breakfast. "It's good to see."

Ted and Phoebe stare between me and Christian and they start to giggle. They don't stop and I look at them with raised brows.

"What's so funny?" I exclaim, looking at them and at Christian, who is also laughing at me. "Why is everyone laughing at me? I can't be that funny, can I?"

"You…have…chipmunk cheeks," Ted says through his laughter and Christian and Phoebe laugh more. Gail starts laughing and I join in, and soon the room is filled with giggles. Kids can be so silly. They can make us adults silly. Taylor walks into the room from wherever he came from and questions us with a look. He can't contain his smile.

"Taylor," Christian addresses him through his laughter.

Taylor nods, still smiling. It must be a day for smiles and laughs. "Sir, Katherine, Elliot and their children will be here around midday."

Christian nods. "Thank you." Taylor walks over to Mrs. Jones and gives her a quick kiss – they are now happily married – before leaving the room as Christian turns to smile at my surprised gaze.

"They're coming over for lunch?" I ask, excited.

"Yes. I thought we could all have a picnic in the meadow."

I beam at him and he takes my hand and kisses my knuckles.

"Yay!" Ted squeals and jumps on his chair, clapping. Phoebe giggles again and mimics her brother.

"Okay, calm down you two," Christian warns and they stop, still smiling. "Eat up."

I roll my eyes at him and continue eating, ignoring his sudden hot gaze. The whole breakfast, he stares at me, only a couple of times watching our kids. I don't know what he finds so fascinating about watching me eat. When we're done, Gail comes to clear our dishes and Ted and Phoebe run to the backdoor.

"Can we please go outside, pleeease?" And I can't deny his cute question or the look on his face. He's too adorable for his own good. Phoebe pleads with her eyes, too.

"Alright, but after you get dressed," I say and they grin.

Once Christian and I dress our children up and they occupy themselves with the cats downstairs, we go and dress ourselves.

I only have my bra on and I'm frowning, searching for my panties in the walk-in wardrobe. Christian already has his pants on and t-shirt and is currently pulling on a jacket.

I huff and glare at him. "Did you steal all of my underwear or something?"

Immediately he grins mischievously, eyes bright and wicked. "No," he denies, gazing at me.

"Are you sure, because I can't find a single bloody pair." I scrutinize his expression and I know he's hiding something. "Christian, tell me."

"Tell you what?" He feigns innocence.

"You know what."

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

I growl and walk over to stand in front of him. I cross my arms. "Where did you hide them all?"

He cannot stop grinning and instead of answering me, he reaches out and strokes my mostly bare body. I shudder and sag at the touch, then step back.

"Christian, we're supposed to be getting dressed. You're distracting me," I scold and he laughs. "Where are they?"

"Where are what?"

I narrow my eyes at him. He wants me to ask him fully and get embarrassed by it. No, I will not. I lift up my chin and scowl at him.

"Where are my panties?"

"I'm being honest, I don't know where all of them are." He smirks. "Gail must have taken them to the laundry."

I huff. "But you have at least one pair, surely?"

His eyes burn with intentional meaning and he pulls a lacy black pair from the back pocket of his jeans.

"Looking for this?"

I swipe for it but he moves his arm before I can grab it. As I try again, he moves his arm so it's up high, out of my reach. He smirks, gazing down at me warmly.

"Now you have to jump."

I pull a face at him, pursing my lips.

"I am not going to jump."

He shrugs, still smirking. "Fine by me. I'll just gawk at you longer." At that, he roams his eyes up and down my half bare body, and licks his lips.

Desire settles in my groin and I groan. Much to my embarrassment, I feel severely aroused from his gaze. I rub my thighs together to quell the aching feeling rising there and bite my lip. Christian's eyes blaze and his lips part. He reaches out and touches the spot between my legs and gasps.

"Fuck, I make you wet just by looking at you," he rasps, looking at me with surprise. I flush, and gasp when his middle finger slips into my folds. He moves it in and out, swirling it around, hitting the sweet spot inside while his thumb rubs across my clitoris. My body tightens and squirms at his touch. I moan, and can no longer concentrate. I sag onto Christian's chest, into his arms. He catches me, holding me upright, but continues his maneuvers.

"Yes, Ana, feel it," Christian orders, his tone low and husky. My blood rises, heating my skin as the sensations between my legs take over my body. I moan, panting and clutching onto Christian's chest. "God, I love it when you're pregnant – you smell so good."

"Please," I plead. "Oh, please…"

"What do you want, Anastasia?" he whispers in my ear, his voice low, making my hair stand.

"You."

So he thrusts his finger harder and deeper into me, with no intention of stopping. Again and again, my cries rise in pitch until his harsh command to come is my undoing and I let my orgasm wash over me, crying out his name.

"Oh, Ana," he breathes, "what you make me feel."

He pulls his finger out and rubs my back with the hand he holds my panties. With the other, he tilts my chin up so I look at him and sucks on the finger he had inside me, and his thumb follows. My eyes widen.

 _Shit, that looks so erotic._

"You taste glorious, Mrs. Grey," he confesses and then bends down in front of me, holding my panties out. "Step." I do as I'm told and he slides them up my legs, standing up as he does. I wiggle as he pulls them over my front and behind. Smiling, he fetches a t-shirt and jacket and dresses me, then pulls me into a sweet kiss.

"We should get going now," he says. "The kids will be waiting."

I roll my eyes at him, for that holdup is mostly his doing. Shaking my head, I take his outstretched hand and we walk out the door.

oOoOoOo

It's 12:34 when we are all ready to go outside. Kate and Elliot will be arriving soon.

"You seem very happy today," I mention as we walk out of the room, hand in hand.

"I am," he says and frowns momentarily.

"Compared to yesterday, it's a surprise."

His jaw clenches and his happy mood vanishes, most likely recalling yesterday's events. "Please don't remind me." His voice is firm, but I can't quash my curiosity.

"Did you end up finding out who the guy is? Did you find him?"

Christian shakes his head as we descend the stairs. "No…still looking. I just want to push it aside for now." The look he gives me tells me he wants to drop it, so I do. He looks down at my arms and his mouth turns down. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." I shrug.

"Ana…"

"Christian, I really am fine." I gesture to the bandages on my arms. "These are sore but not that bad. I was lucky."

Christian looks grave but his expression softens immediately when I caress his cheek.

"Don't worry about it, Christian," I beg and kiss him. "Let's just be happy today, like you said." He smiles slightly and we turn to our children who are back at the backdoor, pleading to go out for the hundredth time this morning.

Christian smiles wider and opens the door for them. They squeal and run out, and immediately the dogs start barking and jumping around them. I giggle and follow after them, pulling Christian with me.

We run after the kids who are heading for the meadow, the dogs running alongside them. We have a female Border Collie whose name is Charlie, and a male Siberian Husky whose name is Tango. Christian and I adopted them a couple of years ago, so they are only two years old, and we gave them the names after Christian's helicopter, _Charlie Tango_.

I laugh at my squealing kids enjoying themselves playing on the playground equipment we bought them two Christmases ago. They have enjoyed it immensely. I feel a sense of relief and freedom as the wind rushes past me and I am met with the bright sun and blue sky. What a lovely day.

Suddenly, I trip and fall forwards into the long green and gold grass of the meadow and I giggle, rolling onto my back. Christian gazes down at me, smiling brightly with a megawatt toothy grin. He bends down and I think he's going to lay down next to me, but he instead lifts me up and spins me around, laughing. I squeal at the rush.

"Christian!" I scream, laughing as he swings me around and around. "Christian…Christian, stop! Put me down!"

We both can't stop giggling, and he finally stops but throws me onto his shoulder. I wack his behind but he just laughs.

"Christian," I complain but he ignores me. He marches through the long grass in the direction of a tree and our children in the middle of the field, ignoring my cries and profanities.

After a time, Christian stops a few feet away from our children and the dogs and sets me down in front of him. He wraps his arms around my waist, holding me close, so I wrap mine around him. He pulls my head to rest on his chest and we both look across the meadow at our children running around, squealing and laughing as the dogs bark and wag their tails.

The sun shines down at them, flashing through the clouds now and then as they play in the long grass and on the playground. It's a very happy sight to see. Everything I could ever wish for and so much more.

To my surprise, I feel my eyes brim up with happy tears and I sniff. Christian notices and studies me with a concerned frown.

"What's wrong, Ana? Is it your arms?"

I shake my head and smile. "I'm just really happy."

He smiles and kisses me, then brushes my tears away from my cheeks. "I am too."

After about half an hour later, seated in the grass now, we both hear a squeal and look over to our children but they look okay so we immediately relax. There's squeal again and a dog barking but this time it comes in the other direction.

We turn to see Ava and Bash, their Golden Retriever running up the path to us, with Elliot and Kate following behind, hand in hand and smiling. In the other hand, Elliot carries a picnic basket. Kate is holding Jacob, their approximately 4 month old son who came to this world in April. Kate and Elliot are really happy to have him along with Ava. I couldn't see a happier couple.

I smile brightly and hop up to close the distance and pull Kate into a tight hug, as much as I can manage while she holds Jacob. She hugs me back awkwardly, giggling.

"It's so nice to see you again," she squeals and I feel the same happiness overwhelm me.

"You too. Ava has grown up so fast." We pull away and smile at each other. I look at Jacob who is peering up at me shyly. I make a silly face and he giggles the cute baby laugh of his. He is adorable. "Wow, Jake is bigger than I last saw him. Jeez, they grow up fast."

Kate laughs. "Ava is growing up, and yes, so is Jake. He is still so tiny and cute, though." She grins brightly as she talks and then looks over at my kids who are playing in the meadow ahead. "So have Phoebe and Ted. Phoebe will be three soon, right?"

I grin. "Yep. Going to throw a fairy party – that's what she wants."

"Invite Ava, will you? She'll love it. And honestly, I'd love to come too."

"Of course!" I cry, astounded. "You thought we were going to throw a party without you guys?"

She laughs and studies my bulge. "Ah, you're getting bigger! I can't wait to know the gender."

"Me too. Christian and I are actually thinking of skipping an ultrasound and finding out the gender when I give birth. So we haven't actually had one yet. We won't be able to find out the gender until about 16 weeks anyway."

"Oh, more of a surprise!"

Chatting away some more, we walk back to the meadow to meet Christian and Elliot setting up the picnic blanket and things. We help put the plates out and fill them with fruit, sandwiches and cakes for a treat. Eventually, we call Ava, Ted and Phoebe to lunch and they run towards us, giggling, the dogs staying behind to play with each other.

"Lunch is served," I call. Ava sits down next to Kate and Phoebe who sits next to me. Ted sits between Elliot and Christian who is sitting next to me, holding my hand. His fingers brush up and down my knuckles, sending shivers through me as we begin to eat our fruit and sandwiches.

Kate is trying to feed Jacob strawberries who keeps looking at them in disgust. We all laugh and eventually, after Jacob eats two, Kate gives up trying to feed him anymore. She grabs a baby bottle from her bag and feeds him that while cradling him in her arms. This time, he drinks willingly.

After a few mouthfuls, I find I'm really not that hungry so I push my plate away.

Christian gives me a look. "Ana, you must eat."

I shake my head. "I'm not hungry."

He scowls in disappointment as he eats his fruit.

"Eat. Now." He hands me my half-eaten plate of fruit and sandwich but I purse my lips.

"I don't want to. I feel like I just ate breakfast."

"That was over an hour ago. Eat."

I groan and Kate and Elliot exchange a look and then anxiously start up a conversation about work and where they want to travel, ignoring our little argument.

Feeling strangely uneasy, I eat slowly, watching my kids eat and listen to Elliot and Kate engross in conversation. Christian and Elliot begin to talk about sport games and fishing, so Kate rolls her eyes and addresses me in conversation.

Suddenly, my arms starts stinging and aching and I cringe and wince. I feel hot too. But I can't take my jacket off – Kate will parade me with questions and I don't think I'll be up for it. Oh, shit, I feel like I'm heating up. What is wrong? I don't think the cuts are that bad.

The kids plead to go off and play with the dogs, and Elliot and Christian let them.

Kate notices my sudden tension and questions me with a look. I shake my head. Then I feel boiling, the sun shining down on me making me sweat and I suddenly feel suffocated, and strangely scared about what had happened yesterday.

I try and calm down my erratic breathing but everyone notices and looks at me, concern etched on their faces.

"Ana, what's wrong?" Christian demands, caressing my face. "Shit, you feel hot. Take your jacket off."

I shake my head frantically. "I'm fine." I grab my glass of lemonade and take a sip. It soothes and cools me down slightly but I still feel strangely shaky.

"Ana, you're shaking," Kate exclaims as she holds my hand. "What's wrong?"

Then Christian gives me a knowing look and he exhales, instantly angry. "Shit," he curses, his hands balling into fists. "Shit, shit, shit. Ana, take off your jacket. Now."

I regard him, frightened but the look he gives me persuades me to take it off.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kate demands.

Shaking and sore, I unzip my jacket and slowly take it off; Christian helps me and groans when he sees the bandages. Kate gasps in shock and Elliot curses.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Elliot says, eyes-wide. He apologizes quickly when Kate gives him a look, telling him not to swear in front of Jake.

Christian ignores him. "Ana, are they sore?"

"No, I'm fine," I lie and shrug. He sees otherwise and frowns.

"We should have taken you to a hospital, Goddamnit. They could get infected."

"No, Christian –"

"I don't want to argue about this –"

"I wasn't trying to argue –"

"Guys!" Kate exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. "What the hell is wrong?" She glares at Christian. "Do you have something to do with this?"

"No!" he and I both exclaim and Kate stops glaring at him. Christian shakes his head and averts his gaze from everyone. Jacob looks worried as he looks from his mother to his father to Christian and I and back again. He looks on the verge of crying and Kate quickly calms him, wrapping him up in a blanket for some comfort and protection from our loud conversation. Then she looks back up at me.

"It's nothing, Kate," I reassure her, "don't worry about it."

"Well, that's a little hard, because I'm worrying about it!" She looks exasperated and I grimace. I really don't wish to recount yesterday's events.

"It can't be nothing," Elliot says, backing Kate up. "It must be something to do with Christian calling us last night, wondering where you were."

"You rang them?" I ask Christian.

"I had to. I called my parents as well. I-I didn't know where else to search for you," he says, shaken.

"Would you like to explain to us what happened to you?" Elliott demands.

I bite my lip, casting my eyes downwards. "I don't wish to talk about it."

"Come on, Ana –"

"If she doesn't want to talk about it then leave her alone!" Christian cuts Kate off, his voice rising.

Kate looks taken aback. "Well, sorry if I want to know what's wrong with my friend?!"

"Enough," Christian growls, scowling at Kate. "Leave her alone."

I touch his arm and he flinches. "Christian," I scold, trying to catch his attention. "Calm down."

He and Kate have a staring competition, glaring at each other while Elliot and I look between them warily. I huff, annoyed.

"Yesterday, after work, I stopped by a bar for a drink," I begin, and everyone looks at me. Christian regards me cautiously. I can see that he doesn't want me to revisit this story. I ignore him, looking at Kate and Elliot. "A guy started talking to me, asking me questions which some were too personal to answer. I started to feel unsafe so I said good-bye and walked out. I had almost reached my car when the guy followed me, grabbed me and pulled me into an isolated alleyway. It was so fast that I didn't have time to defend myself. He began to kiss my jaw and tried pulling my clothes off, ignoring my protests and acts to push him off."

Kate and Elliot are wide-eyed and open-mouthed, shocked, but I ignore them. Christian looks angry and sick. I don't blame them.

"When I began to really fight him, he kept punching me and brought out a knife which he cut me with." Elliot curses, looking disgusted, while Kate gasps, her hand flying to her mouth and the other one resting on my hand. "Eventually I managed to kick him in the nuts and ran off. I kept running past buildings until I began to get lost, so I retraced my steps back to my car. The guy wasn't around there so I ran the rest of the way to my car and drove home. I didn't know I was out so long – it was dark, but I didn't want to worry anyone."

"Oh, Ana…" Kate breathes, upset and appalled. There are tears in her eyes. Elliot regards me warily, stunned as well.

"That bastard," he curses. "Have you found him? Put him in jail?" He looks at his brother.

"Not yet," Christian says, tense and distant. "I got a few calls this morning to know that the guy's name is Grant Hampton and he visits that bar a lot. We caught Ana and him on tape in the bar and found his contacts, family, where he lives, his career, and other personal information, but were unable to track him down."

"Shit." Elliot looks bewildered. He looks back at me. "Are you okay?"

I nod and shrug. "Coping as much as I can."

Christian takes a deep breath and exhales in frustration. I turn to him and he's regarding me warily with a revolted expression.

"I'm sorry." He stands up, face impassive. "I'll be back." At that he leaves and stalks back up to the house.

I blink and frown with worry but brush it off. Christian is good at fast mood swings. I should be used to it by now, but it still unsettles me. I know whenever he's tense and angry, though, and aim to keep my distance until he calms down. Usually once he has a tiring, frustrating or stressing day at work, than he'll act all angry and tense around me and others and need some alone time so I will leave him. He always comes back to me, still in that mood, and will begin kissing and undressing me, no matter where I am. One time I was on the phone and he began to jump all over me so I had to end the call when I couldn't brush him off. Another time I was on the toilet and he began kissing me – that would explain this morning.

Sometimes, he would be so angry, with work and with me after we had arguments, that he would go out for hours and leave no messages or calls of where he went. It's exactly like his reaction when I shared the news of my first pregnancy. And after out for hours, he would come home, sometimes drunk, and act all seductive and funny around me. It's funny and adorable but quite uneasy because I have to get him into bed. He doesn't get drunk often, seeing as it brings up childhood memories and he doesn't like drunks anyway. Only in the very difficult times will he be reckless. In his strange moods, he seems to not settle down to sleep till he has sex with me, though. I love it, of course, no matter what mood he's in. Besides, I seem to change his angry mood after sex or with him just kissing me, and he relaxes.

Seeing as it was during the day and we have guests over, I hope he doesn't want to jump on me right this minute after his little sulk. I laugh at the thought.

"What's funny?" Kate asks, concerned.

"Sorry, nothing. I'm okay." I smile at her and she gives me a small smile back. "Really, Kate, don't stress over me too much. I am fine and safe."

"Be careful, Ana," she warns. "I don't want you leaving us."

"I know, I know. Don't worry; I'm using security next time." I sigh heavily and watch the kids and dogs playing in the field for a little bit. I look back at Kate and Elliot. "Can we just not talk about it anymore? I shudder and feel sick thinking about it."

"Yes, of course, Ana," Kate says, clutching my hand with hers. "I'm so sorry that happened to you."

I shake my head. "Don't worry about it."

She looks sad, but smiles slightly to try and lighten up the mood.

"I hope you get better, Ana," Elliot says. I smile at him and nod.

"Thank you, Elliot." I look back to the kids. "They're so happy. Without a care in the world."

They look behind them in the direction of our kids and they laugh.

"They sure are," Elliot agrees and Kate exclaims, "They're so cute!"

I giggle. "Shall we join them?"

Kate and Elliot both smile and jump up, holding hands. Kate kisses Jacob on his head and places him in his car seat carrier, deciding he'll be fine on his own for a little while. She always keeps him in sight. I smile and hop up with them and we all run towards our children.

They laugh and squeal when they see us and we start to play chase with them, adults against kids. Phoebe has a little trouble running fast seeing as she's only two years old, so we make it fair and jog slowly. Ava isn't as fast seeing as she's only four but Theodore is sprinting through the grass surprisingly at age of five. I catch him, pick him up and swing him around in the air.

He squeals and giggles.

"Ahh! Mommy!"

"I got you!"

He laughs again, grinning down at me. "Throw me up!"

I regard him cautiously.

"Please, Mommy?"

I can't resist his adorable pleading, so I throw him up in the air, holding my breath as he squeals, and catch him, exhaling as I do. It gets me worrying that he'll get hurt.

"Again, again!"

I laugh and throw him up, this time not as anxious as he squeals and giggles, and I catch him.

I see Elliot is doing the same thing to Ava, throwing her up and spinning her around while Kate is tickling Phoebe in her arms. I hold Ted on my hip and walk over to them, grinning.

"Phoebe is so cute," Kate purrs, smiling at me. "You are lucky!"

I grin. "So are you, Kate! Ava and Jacob are gorgeous."

"About kids…guess what?"

"What?" I regard her in question.

"Elliot and I are thinking about having another baby." She grins, her face melting as Elliot grins at her.

I gasp, grinning from ear to ear. "What! You've only just had –"

"I know, I know! But…we wouldn't mind another addition."

"Oh my God, that's amazing Kate! I have all the luck for you." I hug her as best I can while still holding Ted. She grins and kisses my cheek. "So, are you hoping for a girl or a boy?"

"I honestly don't mind, but I was going towards another girl."

"That'll be amazing. Thought of names?"

"Wow, it is a little early, but I have. Lots of them." She smiles at me guiltily.

"Oh, Kate, don't look guilty. This is exciting!"

"I don't know…I mean we already have two…and we had Jacob not so long ago it's just…" She shrugs and glances at Elliot. "I love Elliot and having kids."

"Kate, it'll be fine." I smile. "I'm happy for you." I really was happy for her. She's been so joyful with Elliot. She smiles warmly back at me and we hug briefly. She pulls back suddenly, cocking her head and scrutinizes me.

"By any chance, have _you_ thought about having any more kids?"

"Ahem, Kate, I'm having one right now!" I exclaim, rubbing my belly.

"Yes, but I mean in the future. Anymore?"

My eyes widen and I laugh. "Let me get through one pregnancy at a time, okay? Gosh, I feel like I've just had Ted and Phoebe and already I'm pregnant again and you're asking me if I want more?"

She laughs. "Look at me, I've only just had Jake. He's not even half a year old yet! Just think about it."

"I know, but I just don't know how Christian would react. Besides, Ted, Phoebe and this little one might be enough, though Christian did say he didn't mind more," I say, touching my little bulge.

"Really?" She looks excited and clutches her hands together.

"Yeah." I frown, recalling a memory. "He actually said once, that he wanted to have lots of children. I was quite surprised seeing as he was so shocked about the news of my first pregnancy." I frown at that, feeling a pang of pain at the memory.

Kate looks sad. "Aw, Ana. He'll be happy, I'm sure. He was about Phoebe, and once she and Ted popped into the world. And about this baby!" She squeezes my shoulder and I wince. "Oh, sorry! Look, Ana, you have nothing to worry about. Just look at how happy he is now."

"I know that. I'll just give it time." I smile at her and then roll my eyes. "And right now, he's not very happy. Sulking probably."

She rolls her eyes, too. "Ugh, men."

I giggle as Elliot comes up beside us, holding Ava.

"What was that about men?" He looks between us and Kate and I both purse our lips to hide a smile.

"Nothing," we sing simultaneously.

I look at Ted who has his arms around my neck and resting his head on my shoulder. He smiles when I kiss his head. I begin to tickle him and he giggles, flapping his arms at me and pulling away to avoid the tickle torture.

"Mommy!" he squeals through giggling. "S-stop!"

We all laugh and I put him down so I can pick up Phoebe.

"Think you can walk?" I ask Ted and he grins and thrusts his chest out to show off.

"I am a big boy, of course I can," he admonishes and runs off towards the house, giggling. The dogs follow him. I laugh and, once we gather the picnic items, head into the house, Kate holding Jacob and Elliot holding Ava, walking alongside me.

I leave Charlie and Tango outside with Kate and Elliot's dog, Bash, but they are eager to get inside to join us and all the fun. I set Phoebe down inside to deal with the dogs.

"Guys!" I scold, pushing my hands outwards to fend them off, away from the backdoor. "Calm down." They continue to bark and jump up and down. "Quit it."

Carefully, I open the backdoor more and run in but Tango manages to squeeze past me. He heads to the living room.

"Tango!" I yell, shutting the door behind me so the other dogs don't get in. The kids are laughing, finding me trying to coerce Tango back outside very funny. Well, I don't think so.

My subconscious is tapping her foot on the ground, holding a dog net. I ignore her and manage to corner Tango between the couch and wall and he curls up, ducking his head and whining, knowing he's done the wrong thing.

"Come on, you," I say and grab his collar. I walk him out of the living room and outside. "Out you go, you cheeky little thing." Once he's out I shut the door and sigh but grin triumphantly.

We all decide to set the kids down in their playroom and go to the kitchen to wash and dry the picnic dishes and have a chat.

After talking about many things, mostly about traveling and the kids, I begin to grow worried. Earlier Christian was last heard on the phone, arguing, but when I last asked, Taylor said he had gone out. It's strange of him, without leaving a message about where or why, but then again, he does that from time to time. I decide to ignore it and just enjoy Elliot and Kate's company with the kids.

Distracted, I head for the grand piano, which is placed in the middle of the room near the giant glass wall, just left of the back door. We have a music room with a piano, but it's an upright version along with some guitars, a cello and a violin. I have only learnt to play the piano and cello, the instruments I am most interested with. Christian has taught me piano over the past few years and I have my own personal piano and cello tutor as well. Christian began to play guitar once we settled in our new home, and he's pretty good at it now. I love hearing him play, especially when he sings along.

Placing my hands on the keys, I begin to play a Bach piece and Elliot and Kate walk over to me and watch.

"It's lovely," Kate says, smiling. Elliot agrees and I thank them. "You play so well now."

"You could play, too, you know," I say and Kate rolls her eyes.

"I know, but I could never be bothered."

I laugh and finish the piece, the notes echoing around the room, bouncing off the walls. Everyone claps, including Ted, Phoebe and Ava, grinning.

I make a show of curtseying when I stand up and Ted claps.

"That was good, Mommy." Ted grins and I kiss his head. He then sits on the piano stool. "I want to play."

"Go ahead." I grin like it's Christmas. I love Ted playing. He isn't Bach, but Christian isn't either. He can just play so well for his age, and it's beautiful hearing him want to play. Just like his father.

He makes a big show of clearing his throat, brushing his top down and stretching his hands out before he places them on the keys. He grins up at us.

"Ready?"

We all nod, grinning from ear to ear, and he plays another Bach piece, one of his, Christian's and my favorites. He looks exactly like a mini Christian at that moment and I cherish the sight. I don't know what I did to deserve Christian and Theodore and Phoebe. All I did was fall in love and change Christian's ways by doing so. He fell in love with me eventually and we gave each other everything. We still do. Thinking about Christian has me on edge again.

 _Where is he?_

We all applaud when Ted finishes, and he plays another one. Kate and Elliot engross me in conversation once more until around 2:40pm it's time for them to leave.

"We'll visit again soon," Kate promises. "Ted or Phoebe can always come and sleep over at our place, with Ava. They're always welcome."

I smile warmly, hugging her tightly. "Ditto. Ava is always welcome. Although, knowing Christian's over-protectiveness, he doesn't like keeping Ted and Phoebe out of his sight for long. He likes to know exactly where they are at all times." I roll my eyes and sigh and Kate mimics me.

"I'm sure we can negotiate." She smiles and we kiss each other's cheeks. "You stay safe, please."

"Yeah, yeah. I promise."

"Laters, Ana," Elliot says, giving me a hug. "Say bye for Christian whenever he comes back for us."

"I shall. Laters," I say, grinning and brushing Phoebe's and Ted's hair as we stand at the threshold of the front door.

Kate picks up Ava while Elliot holds Jacob in his carrier with one hand, picnic basket with his other, and they wave, hopping into the car. Ted, Phoebe and I wave as they drive off.

I sigh, shutting the door and watch the kids run off to the kid's playroom again. I am worried, anxious even, as time ticks by and it begins to grow dark. It isn't like Christian, to not call to say he's okay.

By 3:36pm I decide to text him a message.

 **Where are you? Worried. Call me.**

It reaches 4:42pm and still no answer, so I give up. He's probably dealing with the bastard named Grant or something. I wish this guy doesn't distract Christian because I miss my man. I wonder vaguely how he is be dealing with him. I hope he doesn't find the man and bash him up and get hurt or in trouble in the process. I shudder at the thought.

 _Please be safe, Fifty. Come home. I miss you._

Unsettled just sitting on the couch in the kid's playroom, watching them laugh and play, I decide to go to my office to work. Dealing with a business can be tricky, but I've managed to take care of it after all these years. After reading through two manuscripts, eleven files and fifteen emails, and after dinner with the kids and putting them to bed, it's 9:45 and I am stressed out with worry.

 _Where are you, Christian?_

I ask Mrs. Jones, but she says she's had no word from him and Taylor appears to be out, possibly with him or looking for him.

To distract myself, I head for the shower, planning to have a steaming one to calm myself down and wash away the stress.

 _Come home, Christian._


	4. Chapter 4 - Drunk

**A/N: How's the story so far? :D**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 **Drunk**

 **Thursday, 17th August 2017**

 **Christian**

* * *

It's 10:03 at night and still no bloody sign of this bastard Grant Hampton. After searching with the people who I sent out looking for him, there's still no fucking trace. It's like he's hopped on a plane and left the continent. I am stressed out and mad, fucking mad. Mad at everyone, even Ana. How can she put herself in danger like this? Why? I don't understand. Taylor said that she has been looking for me but right now I don't care. I will call her back later. He eventually says I should go for a drink and so I do to cool down.

After a few drinks, and a whole bottle of bourbon, I feel calmer and check my phone and see it's 11:14pm. Shit! Ana will freak. Shit, shit, shit. I hope she's still up and safe and the kids are safe. Feeling very druggy, I take a cab home, drinking more along the way. I've been feeling so stressed lately that I don't care about getting drunk. I am drunk, aren't I? I laugh out loud. Being drunk occasionally can be so much fun.

When the taxi reaches the gate, I pay the driver and hop out. I have ordered Taylor to kindly pick up my car I parked on the side of the road outside the bar I visited, and he said it's no problem.

I have to punch the number into the keypad a few times because I am so sloppy at my attempts and finally the gates open. As I reach the front door to our big house I feel the urge to sleep, have sex and urinate. Wow, drinking can make you feel so many different things. My thoughts stray to Ana.

Mmm, my Ana.

Yeah…Ana…fucking her will do me some good.

 _Wow, hold it there. Get a grip, Grey._

I laugh again and don't stop.

Everything is suddenly so funny.

 _Why did I decide to get so drunk again?_

 _Because it's fun,_ my mind argues back.

I see a plant by the door and study its shape. It's tall and bumpy and I chuckle. A sense of déjà vu hits me. What a strange shape. I walk in the house, and bump into a table and make noise. "Shit!" The lights are off except for a light near the stairs which I reach and stumble up. Boy, am I drunk. I feel so tired, Goddammit. And I have a bad urge to piss but I don't care. I want to find Ana. _My_ Ana. I chuckle again but I don't know why. Ana can be so funny.

I creep along the hallway, past my kids' bedrooms and the main upstairs bathroom and right down to the master suite, Ana's and my bedroom. I walk in and close the door behind me and frown when I don't see Ana.

 _Where'd she go?_

I can hear the shower running and the door closed but shining light through the crack. I grin.

"Ana," I call. I sound croaky and partly creepy because my words are all slurred. I try clearing my voice. "Ana. I'm home, baby."

"Oh…I'm just in the shower!" she calls out.

I walk in the bathroom and open the shower door, ignoring when she turns and squeals, covering herself instinctively.

 _Fuck, she looks so hot._ My cock twitches. _Oh, I'm gonna fuck you, baby, right here._

"Hello, Mrs. Grey," I slur and grin.

"Christian!" she exclaims, eyes-wide.

"Oh, baby," I croon, "you look mighty fine." I sway, almost falling over but I grab onto the shower.

Ana frowns. _Oh, darling, why are you frowning?_

"Christian…" She sounds wary. "You're drunk."

I sway again and laugh.

"Hmm, very."

My eyes blaze at her appearance. She is naked, water cascading down her shoulders, her wounded arms, down her breasts and curves, through her pubic hair and down her legs onto the floor. Water splashes off the tiles and winds through her wet hair.

Can anything be more erotic?

My cock stirs and my bladder protests but all I can care about is Anastasia.

I begin undressing myself, but having trouble, I groan and decide not to worry about it. I walk straight into the giant shower and wrap my arms around my sweet, erotic wife. I kiss her hard and hungrily, moaning when she responds. Then she pulls away. _No!_ She regards me with surprise and cautiously moves my face back.

"Christian, you're drunk."

I grin. "Indeed I am," I agree, my words inaudible. I can't speak properly but I can't care less.

Ana groans, her forehead creasing.

"Where were you?"

I giggle and put a finger to my lips. "Shh!"

Ana sighs and rolls her eyes. "What am I going to do with you?"

I frown, ignoring her question.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me, my love?"

Ana looks at me with surprise and blinks. Yes, yes you did roll those eyes at me. Then I realize that her reaction isn't due to me wanting to spank her – I don't usually call her my love. Oh, well, I'm happy right now. I'm with my Ana. And she is mine.

"I think you did." My voice sounds croaky again. I brush my nose down hers and she sucks in a breath.

"No, Christian, stop. Worry about punishing me later, okay?"

She looks serious so I nod and kiss and suck her jaw. She tastes so, so sweet. My sweet Anastasia. Mmm…

"Okay," she cries, laughing and holding me at arm's length. "We need to get you out of these clothes."

I grin. Yes! She wants to play, too.

"Oh, I like the sound of that, Mrs. Grey."

Her mouth presses into a thin line and she shakes her head. "No, not for that reason."

I pout. _What, why wouldn't she want to play?_

"Don't pout. You look too adorable when you pout."

I grin and start to fall but she catches me.

"Stay still," she orders. I snicker when she undoes my tie and t-shirt and chucks them out the door, then she undoes my pants and boxers, freeing my erection and making me smile. She glares at me with narrowed eyes and chucks my clothes away, then begins washing me. Before I know it, she squeals and jumps back and I frown.

"Christian!" she gasps, her back up against the tiles, out of the water. I frown and step right close to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and begin to kiss her neck again.

"Christian, no!" she exclaims and tries to push me away, but this time I don't let her. I'm too strong for her, even when I'm drunk.

No, Missy, you're mine tonight. You're mine always.

"Oh, my, God, this is gross."

 _Gross?_ What?

"Christian, do you even realize what you're doing?"

"Huh?" I'm too distracted, kissing her.

"Oh no," Ana moans, trying to direct my hips away. My erection is pushed right up against her pubic hair and I feel the urgent need to bury myself inside her.

"Christian," she whines. Oh, I know baby, I feel it, too. I want you. "You're pissing on me, Goddamit!"

What!?

I freeze and blink and then look down. Suddenly the relief of emptying my bladder comes to my attention.

Oh, shit, I am. _Grey, get a grip!_

"Oh."

I blink, a little disorientated. Then I begin laughing and pull her closer.

"No, Christian, that's just gross!" She tries to push me away but can't, immobilized between me and the wall. "Fuck, how much piss do you have in you?! How much did you drink?"

"Hmm, who cares," I murmur in her ear and begin kneading her breasts. I groan when I finish urinating against her and savor the relief. I moan when I smell her sweet scent. "You smell good."

She narrows her eyes at me. "And you smell like piss and alcohol. Now I do, too," she grumbles.

I snicker. "Yes…bour-bon," I say, slurring the word and testing it out. It sounds funny. Bourbon. I chuckle and see Ana smile, amused. Yes, she finds it funny, too.

"I want you," I rasp, taking in her body.

"Oh, God," she groans. "Not now, Christian."

"Please, Anastay-sia." Her name comes out slow and seductive. I watch as she bites her lip. I plead her with my dark, burning grey eyes.

"No, Christian."

"Why not?"

Her eyes blaze with sudden irritation. "One, you're drunk and two, I'm covered in your fucking piss!"

 _Ohhh, burn!_ Boy, is she angry.

I laugh and hug her close to me, ignoring her protests.

"It's not funny!" I continue to snicker and she huffs. "Okay, we gotta get you clean and into bed. You need to sleep it off."

I whine. "Don' wanna. Wan' 'ou."

She giggles as she washes both of us with soap. She adjusts the water temperature and I grumble.

"Cold. Nu, too, hawt." _Why am I sounding like a child, now?_

"Sorry."

She continues to clean me and I gather up some soap in my hands, smiling. "Look, Ana, bubbles!"

She bites her lip, trying to keep a smile in. "Yes, lots of bubbles."

I wipe some on her chin and grin. "Bubble beard."

She rolls her eyes and kisses my cheek. "Okay, I think you're clean, buddy. Now let's get you into bed – you're in need of some heavy sleep." She turns the water off, slides the door open and grabs us a towel each. Wrapping one around her body, she dries me first when I don't do anything. I feel really weird as though I'm in a dream. I feel like I'm falling.

"God, you're still so drunk," she sighs, shaking her head when I laugh. "Nothing to be proud of."

Oh, I'm getting scolded big time!

"Naughty boy, Mr. Grey," she reprimands, smiling at me. "Lean on me."

Oh, I am very naughty.

I obey her and she walks me into the bedroom and pushes me down on the bed.

"Sleep," she orders and I smile up at her as she kisses my forehead. I wrap my arms around her neck, trying to pull her onto me.

"Join me," I say softly.

"Christian," she whines, slipping out of my hold and straightening herself. "I need to dry myself. You go to sleep."

"Mmm, I like you better wet." I show her my toothy grin and she rolls her eyes.

"I'm sure you do. Sleep now."

I groan. I am tired, but I want to lose myself in her. I hop up sleepily from the bed, hit with another dizzy spell, and go to follow her into the bathroom but she stops me.

"Ah-uh. You. Bed." She points to the bed with a straight face but she looks slightly amused.

I laugh. "So serious, Mrs. Grey."

"Yes." She pushes me onto the mattress again. "Bed."

"Join me," I persuade.

"After, if you behave. I told you I need to dry myself and get changed."

I pout. I want her naked.

"Don't get changed," I plead, watching her as she dries herself. I'm not dressed, why should she get dressed? "Come here. Let me dry you."

She gives me a look. "You're drunk. I don't think so."

I try to sit up but feel sick and the room starts spinning.

Whoa, head rush!

I flop back down on the pillow and groan. I see two Ana's in my blurry vision, looking at me with concern.

"You're spinning." I laugh and reach out for her. She grabs my hand and kisses it, then places it down beside me. I groan as another wave of nausea hits me. "I feel sick." And so, so tired.

It's Ana's turn to laugh now.

"Oh, I wonder why!?"

I don't want to joke anymore. I feel really sick and uneasy. Will the room stop spinning already?

"Wait. You're not going to throw up are you?" Ana sounds panicky and I groan. I'm not so sure. _Will I throw up?_ As if on cue, my stomach answers that when it churns. As I sit up, I vomit on the ground beside the bed. Ana gasps and keeps me upright while I throw up, again and again. _Fuck, how long will this go on for?_

"Shit!" Ana curses, narrowly avoiding the vomit on the carpet as she sits on the bed beside me. "Oh, Christian…"

I groan and clutch my head in my hands. I don't feel so sick anymore but the room still spins. Man, this is embarrassing. What had I been thinking? Memories of my childhood and my reaction to Ana's first pregnancy race through my mind and I cringe. I should never have let myself get so drunk. Oh, God…

 _Grey. You've fucked up._

"Are you done?" Ana asks, worried, holding my biceps. I look at her and nod and she sets me back down onto the pillow. My eyes instantly drop shut. I feel so tired.

Ana sighs, wipes my mouth with a tissue, and tucks me in.

"I love you," she whispers, "even when you're drunk." She chuckles and I melt.

 _I love you too, baby._

"Hmm," I Mumble, because that's all I can manage. She kisses my forehead, making me smile, and before I know it I black out.


	5. Chapter 5 - Bike ride

**Chapter Five**

 **Bike Ride**

 **Friday, 18th August 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

I hear a distant groaning noise, growing louder, and I wake up with a start, heart pounding. My breathing is erratic. What in God's name was that? I see the room is still bathed in darkness. I hear moaning and look over to the source of the noise in panic. Beside me, Christian is moaning and moving about under the covers, his arms wrapped around me.

"Ana… Oh, Ana, my Ana," he cries and his arm reaches unconsciously out. I resist the urge to laugh, covering my mouth. Christian still sounds drunk. Man, he was so drunk last night.

I check the time on the bedside table clock and groan. It's only 3:51. I don't think I could sleep now – I'm too unsettled, what with what happened last night and how Christian is acting now. He isn't having a nightmare, is he? I study him closely as he moans softly again and rolls over. He rests his head on my chest and holds me tighter.

"Ana…"

Suddenly his body is moving against me in rapid succession. I frown. What on earth can he possibly be dreaming about?

He continues to do this for a few more moments and I lay there, dazed and rather uneasy. Christian unexpectedly lets out a groan and stops moving, relaxing on top of me. Then I feel wetness seep onto my legs and I gasp.

What the fuck is that?

He didn't…no! Surely not…

Stunned, I lift the covers up to check what feels wet. I can't see anything in the dark, only the silhouette of our legs, so I switch our bedside light on. Christian only stirs and continues sleeping. I doubt I'd wake him – he was too drunk to wake up right now. Sighing, I turn my attention back to under the covers and jump, nearly screaming.

Oh, Gods. Oh shit, shit, shit. Christ, Christian! You be all drunk and piss on me and now this? Oh, no. No, no, no. I can't deal with this. This is highly humiliating, but I understand his dream now. He had been dreaming of fucking me, I bet.

He had a freaking wet dream. On me.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," I moan under my breath. I had to admit that it isn't _that_ bad. Something about it is highly erotic, yet I'd rather he be awake when he comes, and not mess the bed like that in the process. In the middle of the night.

Christian's erection is still stiff and resting against my leg, making me feel hot and aroused but right now I'm too uncomfortable to worry about sex.

Semen is everywhere, covering our legs and the sheets. _Oh, really, Christian!_

I groan and cover my hands over my face. I can't blame him. Men have wet dreams from time to time, and I've recalled Christian having a few over the past few years. But never on me!

Oh, Christ, there shall going to be a long conversation tomorrow. Christian will probably be so embarrassed.

"Oh, my Fifty, what on earth will I do with you?"

I stroke his hair repeatedly as I gaze up at the ceiling, thinking. Christian has been really messed up over the past few days. Probably stressed, one reason why he went and got himself drunk _. Oh, Fifty. I love you, but sometimes you can be so complicating, especially with your mood swings._ I try to shove him off me but he clutches me tighter and groans.

"Don't go," he begs, sounding wounded and vulnerable. "Don't go, Ana. You're mine…all mine."

I sigh and kiss his head. _I am not leaving you, darling. I would never._

"I am here," I whisper while stroking his hair, again and again. "I am here. I am here."

I fall back asleep eventually, tired, and try my best to ignore the fact that I am partly covered in semen. Christian needs me tonight and I don't want him to have a nightmare.

When I wake, alarm going off, I groan, feeling stiff and open my eyes. I rub them at the bright light of the sun shining through the curtains. I roll over, and turn the alarm off, reading the time, 7:01am. I am still so tired, seeing as I didn't get much sleep last night. I jerk upright, suddenly wide awake as I recall the events of last night.

Christian!

He is still sleeping peacefully, but he grunts in his sleep when I move. I lay back down on the covers to gaze at him, and he rolls over to hold me. I sigh. When I pull back the covers, I am still covered in semen, now partly dry and sticky.

 _Yuck, what a mess!_

I laugh and shake my head at the ridiculous situation. Now to get Christian off. He looks so peaceful, with his bare body, all muscles, lips parted and bed-hair. He looks so comfy. But, no, I must get him off. I need to clean up.

Grimacing, I slowly slide him off my chest, one arm at a time and then rest his head onto the pillow.

He groans, and rolls over.

"Ana…" he whispers, content.

I smile, kiss his cheek and hop out of bed. When I look down at myself, I curse. I am in desperate need of a shower. I sigh heavily as I walk in the bathroom and lock the door.

 _No coming in drunk this time, Mr. Grey._

Smiling and with a laugh, I take off my silk pajama shirt and panties, and hop in the shower to rinse off. The hot water soothes me and the shower gel mixed with water washes away the stickiness of Christian's bodily fluid and makes me feel so much cleaner. I smile, thinking about last night.

Boy, is Christian in a messed up state. He is so funny, too. I have trouble not grinning like the Cheshire cat and like it's Christmas. He can be so arousing when he was drunk, though it worries me. He doesn't get drunk very often. Only every few months or so. When things get really bad. I wonder how tense and worried he's been lately about work and this guy Grant to make him behave that way last night. It's so unlike him. He hates drunks. Reminds him too much of his childhood.

Sighing, I reluctantly turn off the hot water, dry myself, and get changed for a quick run. I need to clear my head and sort out my thoughts alone.

oOoOoOo

"Tea and breakfast, Mrs. Grey?" Mrs. Jones asks from the kitchen. I shake my head and smile.

"Not right this minute, thank you."

"When would you like it?"

"After I get back? I want to go for a jog."

Mrs. Jones regards me warily.

"Alone?"

I nod, grimacing.

She gasps. "Anastasia, no. Use security, please. You could get hurt and I don't think I could…I don't think Christian or your children could bear the thought if they lose you. Not after you so recently got lost and harmed.

"Mrs. Jones, it's okay, I'll be running along a public and busy path where I couldn't possibly get hurt. Don't worry."

"Ana…"

"I'll be fine. Pass Christian a message that I'm out for a run in case he wakes up, okay?"

She opens her mouth to protest some more, but I cut her off.

"I'll be so quick you won't have time to miss me. I have my phone with me, fully charged this time."

I smile at her and she gives me a small smile back, but her mouth goes back into a tight disapproving line.

"Okay," she finally agrees and I grin some more. "Be careful, Mrs. Grey."

"Will do," I call out before leaving the house. I plug my earplugs into my phone, pop them into my ears and turn the music on. I run along many streets, listening to Shawn Mendes' 'Treat You Better' and watch the birds fly through the partly overcast, but sunny sky. My feet pound the sidewalk, my breath quickening and I welcome the fresh, cool air of the early morning as I run faster, the music spurring me on.

When I get back to the house, it's 8:05am and Christian is still soundly asleep. I smirk, shaking my head and head for another, this time quick, shower.

I don't wake Christian up, seeing as he looks so peaceful and needs the sleep, but I wake my kids up who are hyper-active this morning.

Downstairs, we sit at the dining table and Mrs. Jones serves us breakfast – bacon, eggs and toast. I feel better once eaten a bit and frown at how much I've eaten the past few days. Strange. I'm usually never this hungry. But pregnancies can do that to you.

"Momma, where's Daddy?" Phoebe asks, and Ted pops his head up from his food, curious too.

"He's still asleep."

Ted laughs. "Really?"

"Yeah, he had a late night last night, working." I smile at them both and they both giggle. Kids find the most strangest of things to laugh about. Oh well, anything to make them stay happy.

"No!" Ted suddenly whines and is on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong, Teddy?" I ask, watching him. He is looking down at the floor; pouting and I look to see that he dropped two pieces of bacon which our white ragdoll cat, Bunny, was eating.

"Oh, no…" Phoebe says, looking sad too.

"Oh, darling, we'll get you another piece, okay?"

Ted's lips tremble.

"It's okay, Ted." I caress his cheek for reassurance. At that, Mrs. Jones walks over with a few more pieces of bacon. I smile at her. "Look, Ted, Mrs. Jones has more." She places them on his plate and he grins and continues eating.

"What do you say to Mrs. Jones?"

He swallows and smiles at Gail. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome, Theodore," she replies and walks back to the kitchen.

As the kids run off to play, once we are all dressed, I sigh and walk into the bedroom to watch Christian sleep for a while. His face is pressed into the pillow, making it slightly squished and adorable. His hair is a mess and the covers are just over his bottom half, revealing his bare chest. I could literally stare at it all day – his perfect abs and curves.

I shake my head and place the glass of orange juice I just poured, onto the bedside table, along with some Advil. I hope he'll take them as it'll help with his hangover I know he'll have.

I drink my tea Mrs. Jones just made for me at my desk in the library. The library is my safe zone and thinking room. It calms me and soothes my thoughts, being surrounded by books, lots and lots of books.

Around 10:25, after taking care of a manuscript and a few emails, I decide it's time to wake up Christian, but as I make to get up, he's there, standing in the doorway, dressed. He looks fresh and clean from a shower he probably just had. He's wearing a pair of jeans and a white button-up t-shirt. His hair is wet and partly tousled, looking ridiculously sexy.

He stares at me, eyes-wide and blazing, sending warmth throughout my body and settling to the place down…down…down…there. Christian looks so dazed that I let a small giggle slip through my lips.

"Good morning, Mr. Grey."

He frowns and runs a hand through his hair.

"What exactly happened last night?" He sounds completely bewildered and I can't resist telling him. I giggle then regard him seriously. He looks so innocent and troubled.

"Well, Mr. Grey," I begin, and he walks over to sit on a chair beside me. "Long story short, you were drunk."

He groans, nodding. "Did I do anything?"

"Well…"

"Ana, tell me."

"You just met me in the shower, accidentally pissed on me, tried to fuck me and chucked up on the floor. I cleaned it up, don't worry."

"What?!" he cries, surprised and embarrassed. To my surprise, he blushes. Christian, blushing?

"Yeah," I laugh. "Last night was more comical than anything. Took a while to get you to stay on the bed, but I managed, and you fell asleep."

"So that's why I have a pounding headache," he grumbles, and looks at me with a sad expression. "I am so sorry, Ana," he Mumbles, raking his hands through his hair. "So sorry. I feel so ashamed."

He walks over and stands in front of me, gazing at me guiltily.

I reach out and hold his hand, shaking my head.

"No, Christian, don't feel ashamed." I smile at him. "You were stressed out and got drunk. No biggy. You're fine now. I am fine. So, all is well."

"No, Ana," he argues, stressing out. "I got drunk and tried to force myself on you which is no way to act. I was an idiot, a complete asshole; I should never have gotten so drunk. I am so –"

"Christian, stop," I cut him off. "I know it's wrong to get so drunk, so I'll let you argue about that. But you don't have a problem with alcohol, you hate getting drunk, so I'm not really worried. You only do it from time to time when things are really bad. I can understand. It's okay – you made a mistake. I'm fine now."

He cringes and looks at me with a deep apologetic look.

"Oh, please don't look at me like that," I breathe. "You look too adorable for your own good. Oh, and you're adorable when you're drunk, too, you know."

He blinks, surprised. "I am?"

"Yes." I cock my head as I watch his confused expression. He looks so lost. "You don't remember any of last night, do you?"

His eyebrows furrow as he concentrates hard, deep in thought. "I…remember vague things. I do remember getting drunk." His eyes widen as he thinks of last night. "Shit, I was really drunk, wasn't I?"

I giggle at his embarrassment. "Oh, yes. So drunk. It was funny."

He sighs heavily but smiles and takes my hand to his lips and kisses it a few times.

"I am sorry. Please tell me you forgive me."

"I know, and of course I forgive you." I grin and squeeze his hand in reassurance. Then another memory pops up in my mind and I laugh.

"What's funny?"

I bite my lip. "You won't like this," I warn. He just stares at me, waiting. I sigh. "Well, I woke up around 3:50am to you jerking off on me as you slept. I tried to clean up, but you begged me not to leave, so I stayed. Very rough sleep, I must say."

Christian looks almost pained now.

"Fuck, that's why I was covered in…oh, shit…shit, shit, _shit_." He runs his hands through his hair in mortification then looks at me. "Oh, Ana," he groans and touches his forehead to mine. "I'm so, so, so, sorry."

"Christian, it's fine." I reach my hand up and stroke his face for reassurance and smile up at him. "Please, don't worry."

"I'm sorry," he says again then looks me in the eyes, his gaze scorching. "I love you," he breathes and kisses me deeply, tasting me and wrapping his arms around me. I wrap my own around his neck and lean into the kiss. He smells fresh and tastes divine.

He groans, hoisting me up as he stands and I wrap my legs around him. He walks over to the door, shuts and locks it, then walks back towards the couch we have by a set bookshelves. He lays me down on it, and hovers over me.

"I want you, baby," he says against my lips, his voice husky. He nibbles on my lower lip and I moan. He asks me for permission with his eyes and I nod, reaching up for another kiss.

As we kiss, he fumbles to take off my shirt and jeans till I'm only in my bra and panties. I unbutton his shirt hastily as he unclips my bra and chucks it away where the rest of the clothes are. I chuck his shirt away and go for his jeans but he's on my breasts, sucking, kneading, pulling at my nipples and cups my sex, making me stop.

"Ah!"

"Yessss," he growls and slips off my panties in one go. Before chucking them away, he inhales the scent of them, his eyes staring right at me. He kisses me again, thrusting his tongue inside me to taste my mouth and meet my tongue. We are panting heavily now, desperate for more contact. He fumbles to undo his jeans, but finally manages and swiftly slides his pants along with his boxers, freeing his stiff erection.

Smiling and staring him straight in the eye, I stroke his length and he groans, closing his eyes to savor the feeling. He grinds into my hand and sucks in a breath through his teeth when I grab hold of him and slide my hands up and down. I rub his head with my thumbs and he shudders against me. I continue this torture and feel him grow larger and harder, till he pulls away slightly.

"Enough!" he cries and kisses me. I let go of him as his gaze burns into mine. "I am going to take you now."

At that, he grabs me by the waist and thrusts himself inside me in one swift move. I cry out when he hits my back wall. He growls, pulls out, and slowly moves back in. He keeps up the rhythm, slowly in, ever so slowly out.

"Oh, please," I beg, moving up into him. I don't think I can hold for long. I want, no, need to come instantly. Need him to make me come, hard and fast. But he is going so agonizingly slowly.

"Slow, Ana, slow," he breathes and kisses my jaw.

"No, please," I beg. "Faster, Christian."

"No," he rasps, stroking and rolling my nipples with his fingers as he moves inside me. I cry out, desperate. Why so slow? "Slow, baby, slow." He trails kisses along my jaw. "Savor the feeling." Oh, I am! He moves down my neck and along my jaw with kisses, making me shudder. "Slow. Slow, Ana, slow." I whimper as his lips reach my left nipple and latches onto it, sucking and pulling.

Holy, Gods, I can't bear this torture. I want him, now. I cry out, part in pleasure, part in frustration.

"Hush, baby," he breathes and trails kisses across my torso to my other breast.

He reaches my nipple and begins sucking and licking it, rolling the other one between his fingers. He nuzzles his face in my cleavage before he lifts his head up to lock me with his intense grey gaze under his thick lashes.

"You have such beautiful breasts, Ana. My sweet, sweet, Anastasia." He smiles with love as he moves slowly into me, teasing. "Feel it, Ana. Feel me."

"I do!" I cry, almost on the edge. "Oh, please. Please, Christian, please."

He cocks his head at me and smiles. Kissing my lips softly, he moves faster, harder, gaining rhythm. And he's pounding inside me, really moving, his movements almost aggressive. I cry out and clutch his back, meeting his thrusts as I jerk my hips upwards. Oh, this feels so good…so, so good. This is what I love. He knows exactly what I need to be satisfied. And I know what he needs.

"Yes, Ana, baby, you've got this," he hisses through clenched teeth groaning as I clench around him once, twice, my body starting to quake. "You've got me, Ana. Come. Give me everything."

His words and movements are my undoing and I let my orgasm ride out, screaming his name. He groans, kissing me and stills when he finds his release. He rasps my name and collapses on top of me, holding me and nuzzling his face in my neck. His hair smells amazing. Much to my surprise, and his when he looks up in alarm, I am crying, tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Ana, what's wrong?" He hovers over me, searching my face for answers. He bends down and kisses my tears away softly.

"Nothing. I…I'm just so happy." I smile up at him and he grins back with so much adoration.

"Oh, baby, me too." He rests his head back on my neck and whispers, "I love you, Ana, so much."

I choke on my emotion and hold him tighter. I love hearing him say those words. I sniff, shaking with emotion.

"I love you, too. So much."

He gazes at me and wipes my newly-shed tears away with his thumbs. When more roll down he kisses them away and smiles at me. "Don't cry, Ana," he breathes, running his nose down mine. "I feel so sad and helpless when you cry."

"Christian…I'm sorry." I chuckle. "Blame this little one." I point to my stomach and he grins.

"Don't apologize." He smiles lazily then his eyes avert to my lips. He kisses them and moans, deepening the kiss. "Ah, your lips are so soft when you cry."

I grin and respond, enjoying the moment. I love him so much.

He sighs and pulls out of me but doesn't get off of me or let go of me. "I need something to eat." I smile when I hear his stomach rumble and wait for him to get off, but he bends down for another long kiss. This will be a long morning…

This man is mine and I love him so.

oOoOoOo

"Mommy, my bike feels funny," Ted whines, running up to me with his Spiderman helmet on. I just finished placing Phoebe's unicorn helmet on. We are going to go for a bike ride this afternoon.

"Why does it feel funny?" I wonder, stroking his cheek.

"I don't know."

Christian is at Ted's bike, pressing his hands down on the tires. He nods in comprehension.

"It's his tires – they need pumping."

"Oh, okay." I look back at Ted. "Daddy's just going to fix your bike for you, okay?"

"Momma, can we go now?" Phoebe's sweet voice rings out.

I look down at her and she's trying to move the pedals on her bike.

"No, baby, not yet. Ted's bike needs fixing first."

"Oh." She looks clueless but then starts to play with the tassels on the ends of her bike handles. She can become fascinated from the simplest of things.

Christian runs back, bike pump in hand and starts to mend Ted's bike. Ted looks interested in what he's doing.

"This is a bike pump," Christian explains to him, smiling. "It puts air into the wheels to make them stiff so you can ride on it."

Ted nods, understanding. "That's cool."

"Would you like to try?" Christian asks once he's done with the front wheel.

Teddy claps and takes the bike pump. "Yes!"

"Okay, so you got to pull out that little black thing in the wheel. Can you see it?"

"Oh, yes," he says after a while and pulls it out. "Now what?"

"Stick the bike pump in…this way…" Ted tries and fails putting it in, "no, the other way," Christian chuckles, amused, "yes, good boy. And now you pull out that lever and push it in, as fast as you can."

Ted grunts as he pulls and pushes the lever in and out. His face looks so comical that I have to laugh. Christian glances at me and grins.

"You're doing great, Ted," Christian says, patting his hair. "Keep going. Use those muscles of yours."

"Look, Mommy!" he calls out, grinning.

I chuckle. "That's my strong boy."

When he's done, Christian tells him to put the black plug back in. He claps when he's finished, and hands Christian back the pump which he returns to the garage. When Christian comes back, Ted is already on his bike ahead of us, Phoebe and I start to trail behind him.

"Going off without me, eh?" he says as he gets on his bike.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I say. "You'll probably take over me soon anyway."

Ted yells and giggles, riding quite fast and far ahead, while Phoebe is practicing pedalling. She has training wheels, while Teddy has only just recently got the hang of riding without them. So he isn't too fast, but he can easily overtake us when I am riding next to Phoebe to make sure she is okay. Christian usually catches up to Teddy to make sure he rides safely and close.

"Ted, don't go too far," Christian yells out, riding alongside me, worrying.

"He'll be okay," I reassure him as we catch up to Teddy who has slowed down. But then he giggles and picks up speed once again, ignoring us.

"Watch where you're going, Theodore!" he calls and I roll my eyes before I look straight ahead. He worries too much. I know Ted never goes too far, he knows the rules, so I can trust he will be fine. He always halts before we cross a road or street, so I am fairly at ease with him riding a little ahead of us. As long as he is in sight, I don't mind.

We pass a few streets until we reach the dirt path along a park. The sun flows in and out of the trees, as the birds sing, and I welcome the beautiful day.

"Having fun, Ted?" I ask when I catch up to him, smiling at him. Christian is riding a little behind us with Phoebe, keeping a steady pace.

He grins and giggles. "Yes! I can go really fast now."

"Yes, you can. Soon you'll be older and riding like superman."

He pouts. "I can already ride like superman." And he demonstrates by riding a little faster.

"Oh, okay," I chuckle and ride faster to catch up to him. "Be careful, please. If you go too fast, you'll fall over. And Dad won't be too happy."

"Eh," he brushes me off and keeps riding. I sigh; there is no persuading him otherwise. "Can we go to the park, Mommy?"

I grin. "Of course. Follow me." I ride along a different path toward a playground where kids are already screaming and playing on. Ted giggles as he rides in front of me. We stop at a fence and he hops off his bike, resting it on the fence. I do the same, taking off my helmet as Ted takes off his. I see Christian and Phoebe found out we went down a side path and has caught up to us.

"Going to the park?" Christian wonders, looking at Ted.

"Yes!" Ted grins and claps before running off to the playground.

I laugh as Phoebe giggles as she gets off her bike and I help her with her helmet. She runs off to join her brother at the slide. Christian sets his bike against the fence, takes off his helmet and hangs it on his bike handle. He stands to beside me to join watching the kids play. I feel like I'm grinning as though it's Christmas. I love watching my kids giggle and have fun. From my peripheral vision, I notice Christian gazing at me with adoration. As I turn to him in question, he smiles.

"What?"

"You look gorgeous," he replies taking my hand and kissing it. "I love seeing you and the kids happy."

I smile back at him and lean on him. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me close. "Me too," I breathe, wrapping my arms around his waist and snuggling into him. "You smell nice," I note, scenting cologne, fresh shower and the smell of Christian.

He chuckles and kisses my head. "So do you, baby," he says, his voice low and husky, sending sensations to settle between my legs. Right _there_.

"You had me worried before," he mentions and I peek up at him, curious. His brow is furrowed, and he looks down at me, all serious-like. "I thought you and Ted were going to fall off your bikes."

I snort. "I wouldn't let that happen. I'm perfectly capable of riding a bike, and looking after Teddy. You have nothing to worry about."

"Hmm," he murmurs, lips in a straight, tight line, and hugs me tighter. "I can't help worrying. I don't want anything happening to you, or the kids."

"I know," I sigh. "We're fine."

He doesn't say anything as I watch the kids on the slide, so I look back up at him. He's watching the kids, too, lost in thought.

"Perhaps we shouldn't have gone for a bike ride then," I complain, slightly annoyed at the fact that even a bike ride has him on edge. He looks down at me and frowns.

"No, Ana, bike rides are fine," he says and kisses my forehead. "I just worry too much for yours and the children's safety. Kids can be reckless because they don't understand the dangerousness of life, and you lack self-preservation." He hugs me tighter, brushing his hand up my arm. My arms don't feel as sore anymore, though I still have bandages on them.

"I know, I know," I sigh again. "I wish you didn't have to worry so much. We're safe."

At the word "safe" Christian's eyes tighten and he looks lost in thought once again. He pulls me over to a seat.

"Let's sit," he says and sits down, pulling me with him. I go to sit down beside him, but he pulls me on his lap and wraps his arms around me. There is no escaping now. I giggle and he nuzzles his face in my hair and chuckles.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," he says and groans. "You smell so good."

"Hmm." I rest in his arms and we watch the kids play on the playground.

"Mommy, Daddy, watch this!" Ted yells and swings across the monkey bars without difficulty. He really is a monkey, always active and up for challenges.

I smile brightly as Christian and I both cheer.

"Well done!" I yell and Ted grins, swinging across the monkey bars again. Phoebe tries to reach the first bar, but can't and lets out a whine.

"Phoebe, you can't do this, you're too young," Ted remarks. "Go find something else to do." Phoebe begins to cry.

Christian unwraps his arms around me as I pull out of them and we both race to them.

"Theodore, don't say things like that to your sister," Christian scolds while I pull Phoebe into my arms.

"But it's true!"

"You know it's easy to upset her," Christian continues. "She's only two. You should know that."

Ted huffs, pouting and crosses his arms over his chest. He looks away from his dad.

"It's okay, Bumblebee," I soothe, brushing her hair as she sobs into me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "You'll be able to climb monkey-bars when you're taller. You will be able to do it all on your own soon, don't worry. You're turning three next month, aren't you? Wow! My big girl, growing up too fast for me." I kiss her hair and begin to tickle her. She calms down her crying by giggling.

"Mommy, tickles, stawp!" she says through giggles, waving her hands at me.

"There's my smiling girl." I grin and walk underneath the monkey-bars. "Grab onto the first bar, Bumblebee." She does and I let go of her so she hangs. She cries out, scared, so I hold her waist slightly. "It's okay, I've got you. Grab the next one." She grabs onto the next one as I move forward. Soon we are at the end and she giggles.

"See you can do it!" I cheer, feeling a sense of pride. "You're just a little small now to reach them on your own. But remember that you'll grow big too!"

"Yes," she says and laughs again. "T'was fun."

"Just know that I couldn't reach the monkey-bars when I was your age, either."

"Weally?"

"Yes. Want to do it again?"

She shakes her head and moves in a gesture to put her down, so I do and she runs off to the slide. I laugh and walk back to the seat where Christian and Ted are sitting. Ted is sulking with his arms crossed. It looks like he got put in timeout.

I chuckle internally. _Yes, Ted, I get put in timeout a lot too by your father, don't worry._

I sit down on the seat beside Christian and gaze at him. He looks up at me with a dark, lusty glint in his eyes and pulls me onto his lap, growling. I squeal and try to push away from him.

"You're not going away from me, Missy," he says, grinning and kissing my neck.

"Christian!" I giggle. "Ted's watching."

Ted looks confused, possibly wondering what the hell we're doing.

"Hmm," Christian murmurs and kisses my neck again. "You can go off and play again, Ted."

Ted grins and runs off yelling, "Thanks, Daddy!"

"What was that for?" I ask as Christian trails kisses down my neck and jaw. "That was the shortest timeout in history."

He laughs and nuzzles my neck. "Ah, he was only pointing out a fact to his sister, though rudely, but I just want you right now."

"Christian, we're in public," I caution, trying to pull away from him. He tightens his arms around me, exhaling in frustration. "People are staring."

"Hmm," he only murmurs, and keeps kissing and sucking my neck. He sucks on my sweet spot and I can feel his grin against my skin when I moan.

"Ugh," I groan and relax in his arms. I feel him grin against my neck and he bites it playfully, making me squeal. "Goddammit Christian!" He chuckles, kissing my neck once more. "Please, save that for later."

"Okay, okay," he finally gives in and pops his head up to watch the kids. Rolling my eyes, I do the same, keeping an eye on both of them and making sure they don't fall and hurt themselves. Christian kisses my temple and murmurs, "I always know when you roll those eyes of yours."

I sigh. Of course he knows.

"Hey, that event is still on, right?" I ask to distract him and he nods. "It's still okay to take the kids?"

Christian has been planning a charity event from his company that is happening in a hall we have hired. There is going to be dancing, singing, music, raffles and other donations to help raise money for those in need across the world, the majority being children with medical conditions or without a home and family. Yesterday he got a call that it's finally happening tomorrow. Christian was pissed about how late the call was, how little time he had to prepare, but he's very glad that it's finally going to happen.

"Yeah, it would be a good experience for them. Theodore really wants to go so he can sing and dance." He chuckles. "We'll make sure they're not up to mischief, it'll be fine."

"Oh, I know, I'm just concerned about them being near alcohol."

"We'll just have to tell them what not to touch. If we're firm, we'll get the message across."

"We can try," I grin. "Oh, I can't wait to hear my little boy singing in a tux. He will look utterly adorable."

"That he will."


	6. Chapter 6 - Charity for Coping Children

**Chapter Six**

 **Charity for Coping Children**

 **Saturday, 19th August 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

"Take off your panties," Christian murmurs under his breath as we sit at the table of a restaurant.

Friday, bike riding with the kids, was amazing and it was good to spend time with the kids, away from stress. Most of the day Christian managed to stay off of his phone, only answering a couple of calls.

Last night was romantic – he set up a bath with rose petals, candles and bath scents that we relaxed in before making love in bed.

I stare at him in surprise, blinking.

We are currently having a main course of lasagna, with some white wine for lunch. It's normal for Christian to take me by surprise, but he hasn't told me to take off my panties in ages. What game is he playing tonight?

"Take them off," he urges, mock-glaring at me, and I know he's serious. He's up to something with that mischievous look of his.

I raise my eyebrows, a little taken aback. "Why?" I ask, breathless.

He smiles. "Just do it," he orders, voice raspy, sending every hair follicle on my body to stand to attention.

"Now?"

"No, tomorrow." He rolls his eyes and says, "Yes, now. I want you easier to access when we arrive home."

"Okay," I breathe. I could play along.

I sigh and go to get up to visit the restroom, but he stops me.

"Sit back down," he orders huskily, shaking his head. He nods at my seat. "Take them off here."

"Here?"

His grin is almost evil and it worries me.

 _What is he playing at?_ I wonder what made him so… _sassy_. Wanton. His grin says it all.

"Now, Ana," he orders. "Please?" I see he's trying to rein his impatience in. "Don't be coy."

 _I'm not being coy, we're just in public!_

I frown, ambiguous.

He locks me with his intense gaze, waiting, and I know if I don't act now, he will make things a whole lot worse. But in a good way, of course…he'd never force me to do anything, especially in public. I'm hesitant though. He's in a strange mood, and even though we are sitting in a booth furthest away from people, they can still see if they care to take a look over at us. Hell, the waitress or waiter can see.

"Ana, you've done this before. Please?"

I sigh, and the thought of taking my panties off in public again, gets me squirming. And with the way Christian is looking at me, he knows it too. _The devil._

"Anas-ta-sia," he sing-songs, pinning me with his dark stare, eyes black and full of lust. They burn into me, setting my body alight with equal desire. His malevolence is driving me crazy. He licks his bottom lip and I can't help but bite mine.

 _Oh, he really wants to play_.

I scan the room quickly, my eyes flickering from person to person, but no one glances back. They are too engrossed in their food and conversations with others. Nevertheless, I can't help but feel like I'm being watched.

Christian's hand suddenly reaches across the table to squeeze mine in reassurance. His eyes are pleading and I cannot back down that look.

"Christian…" I say, my voice wavering from his carnal gaze. He's basically poured all his self-contained lust from the night, into my bones, cells and organs. My body is on fire. I feel wet already and he's barely even touched me yet.

"Do it, baby," he begs. "You know you can. I want you ready."

Blinking, open-mouthed, I obey, looking around to see if anyone's still watching before sliding my black lace panties down my legs and over my black heels. A sense of déjà vu hits me.

Once they're off, Christian holds out his hand, wanting me to give them to him. So I do, and he smiles smugly. My breath catches at that smile. I now feel slightly uneasy, and even more aroused as the cool air brushes against my exposed vagina. Without taking his eyes off of mine, he takes my panties and he sniffs them before shoving them in his jacket pocket.

 _Holy fuck, he does that a lot._

"Good girl," he whispers, and takes my hand up to his lips where he brushes them against my fingers.

I feel an achy need between my legs and even more so when he smiles.

"Eat," he orders softly, referring to the rest of my pasta. I'm not hungry for food anymore, especially now. Oh, why did I decide to wear a dress? And why does he have to play this game now? I know his tricks, and try to play along.

"I'm not hungry anymore," I confess, squeezing my thighs together. Christian makes no move to touch me, though he's sitting in front of me, and I desperately want him to.

He narrows his eyes at me. "Eat, Ana." He is firm and so I pick up my fork and take another bite of my food. Christian has already finished his, waiting patiently as I eat mine. "Stop biting your lip."

I blink up at him. I'm not aware that I am. I let it go.

Swiftly, he stands up from the table, walks over and sits next to me in my booth, so I have to shuffle right next to the window to give him space. It surprises me, and makes me curious what he is going to do. He just gazes at me, not touching me at all, and takes sips of his wine.

"Keep eating," he says, not taking his eyes off me. I do as I'm told, aching with need, feeling wet between my legs. Oh, why does he have to tease me like this? He's made me so aroused.

His gaze burns into my side as I try to concentrate on my food, and only that. But of course, all I feel is his burning gaze and the pent up need between my legs.

"Frustrating, is it?" he mutters, smirking when I look up at him. He cocks his head to the side, challenging.

"Yes," I whine, pouting. "Please, Christian. I just want to go home."

"Oh, I know you do, baby. But I want to take you somewhere beforehand."

Oh? "Where?"

He winks. "Secret. Hurry up and finish – I'm growing quite zealous."

I cock my head at him, trying to figure out where he wants to take me. I let the subject drop though and finish eating. Throughout the whole meal, we talk some more but he doesn't touch me at all. What is he up to tonight?

Finally, I've almost eaten all of it when I've had enough. Christian looks satisfied as he looks down at my plate. He grins seductively, and finally touches me by taking my hand. Pecking my lips, he pulls me up and starts to turn toward the desk where you pay and the door beside it, but I stop him, telling him I just need a visit to the bathroom. He lets me go while he goes for the check.

As soon as I come out of the Ladies' room, a young guy with ash blonde hair, perhaps around my age, stops me in my tracks. Startled, I blink at him in surprise and question. Before he speaks, I notice he's holding a camera. Oh, fuck.

 _Paparazzi._

"Hi," he says, a little awkwardly. "Er…So I realize you're Anastasia Grey, right? I just wondered if I could please have a picture. Just a couple?"

Biting my lip, I glance over at Christian who is chatting with the bartender, and look back at Blondie.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt," I say with a smile and his face lights up like a child at Christmas. I sigh inwardly. When will people get the message that I'm already taken and not interested in somebody else?

He takes a few shots and I let him, but then he asks for one together. That's pushing it. I hardly ever have photos taken of me with someone else other than Christian, family or close friends. Christian will be outrageous if he sees me with this random guy on the net. He'll just be mad about letting the guy taking solo shots of me.

"Look, you're a really sweet guy and all…but I really don't do photos with others." I smile for added effect. I did not want to come across as rude.

His face falls slightly but he composes it and grins playfully. "Oh, c'mon, just one?" He instantly reminds me of a puppy. But a puppy that's gradually getting territorial. There's definitely something off with this guy; it's unnerving.

As though he can sense my thoughts and before I can say anything else, he grabs my arm and yanks me into him rather roughly, wrapping his arm around my waist while the other olds the camera. I let out a gasp and try to wriggle free, but he's strong.

"Just one," he says sternly. "Stay still, woman."

"Who are you calling woman, Mister?" I sneer, jabbing my elbow into his side. He grunts but holds me steady. I narrow my eyes at him. "I wouldn't do this if I were you. You do know who I am married to, right?" A flicker of fear crosses his face and I grasp onto it. "Yeah, that's right. You haven't seen him when he's mad, and he sure gets mad."

"Aw, want your little superman to come save you do you? Poor vulnerable, Ana."

I narrow my eyes. "What makes you think I'm vulnerable and any less strong than him?"

He rolls his eyes, and continues to try to get me still, but I keep moving so that any photos he may take will be a blur. To my immediate shock, his hands drifts lower and lower and rides up my dress. I yank his arm away, bending it, hearing a crack and his growl of pain. But it's too late, because he already touched me.

"Fuck, woman, you're strong. Wet too, I see." He grins in a snarl, eyeing me up and down. "Now why is a woman in a restaurant like this wearing… _nothing_ underneath, hmm?"

"None of your fucking business. And I think told you, not to call me woman!" I spit through clenched teeth, slapping him across the face, hard. He holds his hand to his cheek in surprise, and I can see the anger rise in is eyes and taught jawline as he clenches his teeth.

I'm getting ready to harm him again, but before I know it, Christian is marching across the restaurant as fast as he can. As soon as he reaches me and Blondie, he gives him a few hard punches on his face, probably breaking his nose in the process when I hear a sickening crack. Blood runs down from his nostrils.

"Fuck!" Blondie shouts. "Bastard."

"Stay the _fuck_ away from my wife, you sick little shit," Christian roars, drawing even more pairs of eyes our way than before. The whole restaurant is watching the show now, and security are on their way over. "Keep your dirty hands where they should be. Or I'll have to do something about them. Perhaps cut them off. Now, that would sure teach you a lesson."

 _Shit, shit, shit._ We have to get out of here. Now.

"Christian," I breathe, grasping his hand for his attention. He ignores me, glaring and shouting profanities at the guy. "Christian…Christian!" He finally glances at me, eyes full of barely-contained fury. He's seething. "Shh. Calm down." I touch his face and watch as his expression softens at the touch, his anger melting away. "Let's go."

He doesn't move when I try and pull him.

"Christian, please. He's not worth it."

Finally, after one more glare at Blondie who is cradling his bleeding nose, Christian stalks ahead of me towards the exit, dragging me along. It's tricky to keep up, but I manage. I look back to see security dealing with the guy, and I can breathe more easily.

Once we're outside, I see Christian's much more at ease. He doesn't talk until we're in the car, though, and I don't blame him. Once in, he takes a deep sigh of relief, before looking at me, checking me over.

"Are you hurt?" he stresses, cupping my chin in his hand. Concern is written underneath that rage in his eyes.

"No. Just unsettled."

He frowns in fury again, jaw taut.

"Shh, calm down, Christian. I'm safe now."

Without a word, he pulls me into a rough, desperate kiss. I kiss him back to ease his worry, and cradle his hair, slicing my fingers through it, loving the soft, silky touch. He wins the battle of domination with our tongues and pushes his into my mouth to explore. He groans, reluctantly pulling away to break the kiss. He stares at me for a while and I smile for reassurance. His mouth pulls at the corners, too.

"You are mine," he breathes.

"Yours."

"Next time we'll use security."

"While I go to the loo?"

His mouth twitches, but otherwise remains serious. "Yes. Either security or me. I don't want you hurt."

"I know. Okay. I'd prefer you to guard me rather than the others. Wait. I don't have to keep the door open, do I?"

"Yep, you do."

I flush. "What? No privacy?'

"Nope." He pops the 'p.'

I frown.

He can't keep his smile hidden and he chuckles. "Of course you can leave the door shut, Ana. I just want people on the outside guarding."

"Fair enough." I grin and he takes my hand in mine, kissing it lightly. "So where are we going now?"

"Home. We must get ready for the ball tonight."

"What about the secret place?"

"Ah, forget about it. We can do that another time."

"What is it?"

He grins. "Secret."

I roll my eyes. "Okay." I squeeze his hand and give him a smile. "Thanks for lunch."

"You are very welcome, baby."

oOoOoOo

"Theo, you look adorable! Oh, my baby is so grown-up." I give Theodore a kiss on the cheek and he groans in embarrassment from the praise. He is currently in a tuxedo – white long sleeve top, black pants and vest, and black bow tie. I just finished dressing Phoebe and I in dresses, and she's just as adorable.

"Mommy," Phoebe calls. She hands me her pair of shoes. "Can you please help me?"

"I can, sweetie." I slip each on her socked feet and buckle them up. She is in a sparkling red dress, red shoes and a touch of red lipstick. She is too cute. Photos pop into mind, making me grin.

"You look very pretty, mamma," Ted compliments with a grin.

"Aw, thank you." I'm wearing a blue dress with frills and lace. It's one of mine and Christian's favorites. "And you look cute."

"I'm not cute!"

"You are too!"

He rolls his eyes and I have to laugh.

"Okay, photo time!" I squeal once Ted puts on his polished black shoes.

"Aw, do we have to?" Ted says, covering his face. He isn't super keen on photos.

"Yes! You two are too adorable to resist."

"As you are gorgeous," a raspy voice breathes behind me, making me jump. He puts one hand on my hip and grabs my hand with the other, twirling me around so I face my handsome man in his own tux. Ted will look even cuter next to his dad in the photo.

"And you, handsome." I smile and he kisses me softly on the lips.

"Mom, Dad!" Ted shouts in a disgusted tone. "Gross! I thought you wanted photos."

"Okay, okay," I chuckle at his sassiness. "Everyone get into position."

"Here, let me take the photos for you," Gail offers, taking the camera from me.

"Thank you, Gail."

Once we're in position – Christian wrapping an arm around my waist as I stand next to him, Ted in front of him and Phoebe next to him in front of me – Gail sets up the camera and takes a few shots.

"Say, daddy's dirty underwear!" she sings and the kids giggle.

"Really, Gail?" Christian sighs, amused.

"Well, it's working."

I can't help laughing myself.

Once the photos are done, we are ready to head off. Before we do, Christian starts videoing us, while telling people where we're going and asking the kids questions. It's what we've been doing for the past year or so, and Theodore is usually our star. The kids love it.

We hop in the car, and Taylor pulls out of the garage and takes us to our destination.

"Are you guys excited?" Christian asks, filming the kids. They have bright smiles on their faces and they're wiggling around in their car seats.

"Yes!" they both chime.

He turns to me. "Are you?"

"No, not really."

"Why not?" He's mockingly taken aback.

I chuckle. "You know attention and dancing isn't my forte."

"I'm sure you'll have a great time. Won't she guys?" He turns back to the kids.

"Yes!" they squeal again.

"There'll be dancing –"

"Singing –"

"Food!"

"Choc'wate!"

We both chuckle at that. They mostly want to go to places because of the desserts. Typical children.

"Yes, lots of chocolate!" Teddy says, bouncing in his chair. "Hey, can I sing on the way there?"

"Of course you can, kiddo. Sing away." Christian focuses the video camera on Ted and he grins as he starts to sing 'How far I'll go' from Moana. Our children love Disney films.

"I've been staring at the edge of the water

'Long as I can remember, never really knowing why.

I wish I could be the perfect daughter,

But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try.

Every turn I take, every trail I track,

Every path I make, every road leads back,

To the place I know, where I cannot go, where I long to be.

See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me.

And no one knows, how far it goes.

If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me.

One day I'll know, if I go there's just no telling how far I'll go.

I know everybody on this island, seems so happy on this island,

Everything is by design.

I know everybody on this island has a role on this island,

So maybe I can roll with mine.

I can lead with pride, I can make us strong,

I'll be satisfied if I play along,

But the voice inside sings a different song,

What is wrong with me?

See the light as it shines on the sea? It's blinding.

But no one knows, how deep it goes.

And it seems like it's calling out to me, so come find me.

And let me know, what's beyond that line, will I cross that line?

The line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me.

And no one knows, how far it goes.

If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me.

One day I'll know, how far I'll go!"

We all clap and cheer once he's finished, making him giggle. He loves Disney and can't resist singing their songs, and we love to hear him. For his age, he's voice is seriously good, and adorable. He's a YouTube sensation, very similar to a little girl his age called Claire Crosby. She sings many songs on YouTube, Ellen and talent shows, too, the majority of them being Disney.

He sings a few more songs, with all of us joining along apart from Taylor who is too shy, until we finally reach our destination which is the Hall at Fauntleroy.

We hop out, and I unbuckle Phoebe out of her car seat while Christian does the same to Theodore. Taylor, and our other guards that came with us in another car, spreads out behind us and follows us in.

As soon as walk in, we are met with tons of people conversing and drinking away. The place is filled with round tables with white cloths draped over them, and fancy black chairs around them. A space at the back of the room in front of a stage, looks like where people can dance. The stage gives out the most attention at the very back of the room, where a microphone and a few other studio equipment stands.

The rest of the Greys spot us and beckons us over to their table which already has our names in front of each seat. Kate runs up to me and gives me a big hug, as much as she can while I'm still holding Phoebe and around my bulging belly.

"It's so great to see you!" she squeals and I smile at her, feeling just the same.

"It always is. But I hate attention. And the noise. I'd rather just go home and read a book."

"Oh, you're so antisocial! You'll get used to it. Now, come and sit. I wanna chat."

She eyes my stomach which has gradually been getting bigger and grins. I chuckle and move over to our assigned table, which is in the front row near the stage. I sit my daughter down in her highchair – she even has her own name written on a card – and sit down myself. Christian and Elliot follow after chatting for a bit, but I see no sign of Theodore. I sigh, amused. It doesn't take him long. _Where did he run off to?_

"Christian, where's Theo?"

He looks around and shrugs. "That's a very good question. Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine. I'll get Taylor to search for him. Taylor?"

Taylor nods and walks off to find him, while we instantly commence in conversation.

"You know you saw me not long ago, right?" I answer Kate's question of how I'm coming along. "I haven't changed much."

"But every moment counts! I'm too excited."

"Oh, really? I couldn't tell."

"Ana, you must document these precious moments. You can't live them again with the same child."

I laugh. "I'm not sure I really want to live it again – I don't think my body could handle it. Or my mind, for that matter."

We order our food and drinks just as Teddy comes running back, with Taylor pacing a few steps behind and plops into the only remaining seat which is his. He looks flushed from running.

"Where'd you go, Mister?" I raise an eyebrow at him and he grins.

"I saw a piano. It looks like our one at home. It's so cool!"

I look over and see a grand black piano on the stage and can't resist rolling my eyes. "Oh, of course. Well, stay here from now on, or tell one of us where you're going, okay?"

"Okay. I'm hungry. What's there to eat?"

"Well, there's not a lot you'll like, but I just ordered you and Phoebe a bowl of chips and chicken nuggets with lemonade to start off with. Does that sound okay?"

His eyes widen in delight. "Yes, yum! Thanks, Mommy."

"You're welcome."

Christian's dad suddenly gets up from our table, walks up on stage and takes the microphone. He smiles at everyone and beckons for silence. The chatter dies down and everyone pays attention to him.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the annual Charity for Coping Children ball," he starts off. "First, I would like to thank you all for coming here, and for all of you participating in the charity. We would love for the charity to go well, so we can put smiles on all those unfortunate children. Food and items will be spread over the country and even to different parts of the world if we make enough. There will be raffles, prizes, dancing, music and more, as many of you should know already. I will be honoured if you were to join in. Have fun, and enjoy your meals. Thank you for taking the time to listen." Carrick smiles at the end and bows. Everyone claps as he walks off stage. A male in a fine suit suddenly takes his place and begins to sing a sweet song, lifting up the room, while another person plays the piano and another plays a cello. People continue to talk and eat and a few watch the band.

"That's a lovely song," I say and Christian squeezes my hand. I look up at him with adoration shining in my eyes and his eyes mirror mine. He smiles at me and bends down to kiss me softly on the lips.

"Ew, do you have to do that now?" Teddy asks, mockingly sticking out his tongue in disgust. We chuckle at him.

"Yes, I agree!" Mia exclaims. "Join in the conversation, anti-socializers."

I roll my eyes and scoff. "Oh, like you can talk. You were kissing Felix just before."

She sticks her tongue out at me and I laugh.

After a while of talking and eating, Mia and Kate suddenly stand up, grinning. They beckon me up as well. I frown in confusion.

"Why?"

"Come on, it's time for the dance," Kate urges.

As she says that, I see a few other women in glamourous dresses stand up and walk onto the dance floor. I must have missed the announcement, too involved in the conversation with Grace and Felix, Mia's boyfriend. I bite my lip, uncertain. I'm sure to fall in my shoes. Walking in high heels is enough for my two left feet. I'm sure to make a fool of myself.

"Oh, no, no, no," I laugh. "No, I'm fine right here watching, thank you."

They both give me a stern look, walk around the table and grab me up by the arms. I try to wriggle out of their grasp, but they are too insistent. I groan and let them pull me up out of my seat. The others at the table laugh and Christian has a broad grin on his face. I give him the stink-eye because he doesn't help me. He just winks at me.

"Go Mommy!" Ted cheers and Phoebe claps in agreement.

I grin at them and follow Kate and Mia onto the dance floor where the other girls are dancing to the music. A bigger band has formed now: the lead singer, background singers, violin, cello and piano. We dance for quite a while and the whole time I can feel Christian's eyes on me. He can be very possessive at times.

Carrick has reappeared at the microphone again and yells out for the contest to win a dance with all of us.

 _Oh, no_.

The bidding starts with a brunette in a sparkling red dress. A man stands up from the crowd and yells out $5oo. Another man stands and yells out a thousand. The bidding gradually gets higher and stops at $1200. Starting off small. The second woman, a blonde in a green dress wins a raven-haired man in a grey suit at $2000. The bidding gets higher on each woman as Carrick brings them up. Felix wins Mia of course, and same with Elliot getting Kate.

And then I'm called up, almost the last woman and the bidding starts. A few men are eager to win me and I am surprised. But Christian doesn't back down. He never does when it comes to me. When the men give up and Christian wins me, my mouth is open in surprise.

$100, 450!

Why is it me that's always the highest price? I'm really not that different to all the other girls. Some are really beautiful, more so than me in my opinion.

Giggling, I shake my head and take Christian's hand when he walks onto the floor. He grins down at me with a possessive look in his eyes. I bite my lip and he looks down at it. He bends down and kisses my lips apart, desperately, as we sway from side to side. We dance for about half an hour, rubbing our noses together and switching partners for a brief time. I get to dance with Carrick, Elliot and Felix, and Christian and I have fun dancing with both of our children until the dance is over and we've raised a little more money for the charity. Everyone already had to pay tickets to get in.

Next up is the raffle which goes smoothly, money is thrown in and prizes are won. Teddy and Phoebe are sad that they don't win anything, but I tell them they are things for adults that they will find boring. I talk about music to cheer them up and soon they are smiling.

Finally it's Teddy's turn to sing and play a little piano and he's nervous but excited. Christian walks him up to the stage and stands him at the microphone adjusted for his height. He sits on the stool that's placed in front of it. He looks so adorable in his little tuxedo, next to his father in his own tux, and I can't resist taking a few photos. I see several others, including the other Greys, take shots of them, too.

He clears his throat and nervously calls for silence. His voice gradually becomes more confident as everyone looks at him with adoration and bright smiles. A few people "aww" at him, and the snapping of phones and cameras continue.

"Thank you," he says. "I would like to sing a few songs for you and play some piano. But my daddy's gonna play piano while I sing. And…I hope you enjoy!" he quickly finishes off and grins. He prepares himself for his first song. Christian sits at the piano, ready to play whatever he decides to sing. He starts off with "Treat You Better" by Shawn Mendes. I grin brightly and squeal in excitement.

"I won't lie to you,

I know he's just not right for you,

And you can tell me if I'm off,

But I see it on your face,

When you say that he's the one that you want.

And you're spending all your time,

In this wrong situation,

And anytime you want it to stop.

I know I can treat you better,

Than he can.

And any girl like you deserves a gentleman,

Tell me why are we wasting time,

On all your wasted cryin',

When you should be with me instead.

I know I can treat you better,

Better than he can.

I'll stop time for you,

The second you say you'd like me to,

I just wanna give you the loving that you're missing,

Baby, just to wake up with you.

Would be everything I need and this could be so different,

Tell me what you want to do.

'Cause I know I can treat you better,

Than he can.

And any girl like you deserves a gentleman.

Tell me why are we wasting time,

On all your wasted cryin',

When you should be with me instead.

I know I can treat you better,

Better than he can.

Better than he can.

Give me a sign,

Take my hand, we'll be fine.

Promise I won't let you down.

Just know that you don't,

Have to do this alone,

Promise I'll never let you down.

'Cause I know I can treat you better,

Than he can.

And any girl like you deserves a gentleman.

Tell me why are we wasting time,

On all your wasted cryin',

When you should be with me instead.

I know I can treat you better,

Better than he can, oh oh.

Better than he can.

Better than he can."

Everyone cheers when he finishes and he bows, grinning brightly. Oh, he's just too adorable. Of course, he can do with more practice, but for his age, he's a star.

He sings a few more songs, where he is awarded with more applause and photos taken. Christian plays the piano and sings a few of his own, without Teddy. They cause many people to cheer and give tips to help the charity running.

The night progresses in more songs and instruments played by other people, and more money put in. The charity is going extremely well, and the Greys and I are all happy.

But for some reason I feel like something is off. As though there is a presence lingering, ready to strike us. When I had visited the bathroom earlier, I saw a man dressed in a tuxedo but wearing a hoodie with the hood on and what looked like a mask, to secure his face. At least, I assume it's a man. And when I had been sitting at the table I spotted the same person against the wall of the dance floor. And again, sitting at the bar, always facing my table. It gives me the chills. And I'm still chilly as we all step outside for the firework display. I don't know if it's caused by the cool night air or the strange person.

The show is amazing, fireworks blasting in a colourful and inspiring array. Teddy and Phoebe love it but I can see their eyes drooping from tiredness.

Suddenly our guards surround us, looking very cautious and on the lookout. Taylor steps up to Christian and whispers in his ear. Immediately, Christian turns stiff, and looks around quickly. He whispers something back to Taylor and he nods, walking swiftly off towards the carpark.

I frown at my husband. "What is it?"

"We have to go," he orders, straightforward. We're already holding our kids so they could see the fireworks better, so it's easier to rush to the carpark.

"Christian, tell me, what's wrong?"

He sighs. "We're being watched. Our security caught a man in a black hoodie and mask, keeping an eye on us, and saw he has a knife. We have to go, now."

I gasp. _Fuck._ My face turns pale, alarming Christian.

"It's okay, Ana, just get in the car."

Christian holding Teddy, and I holding Phoebe, reach the car and buckle our children into the back seat. They are both fast asleep, worn out from the night. Christian and I quickly hop into the car. This time Christian drives and I ride in the passenger seat.

I'm fairly shaken, and it worries Christian. He reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze.

"It's okay, now – Taylor, Sawyer and the others are following right behind us."

I nod, silent.

"Ana, what is it?"

I take a deep breath. "I just saw the same man throughout the night. He was right outside the bathrooms when I came out. God, he could have…"

Christian sways a little on the road as he hears. "Fuck."

"Look, like you said, it's okay now. I'm sure he's still back at the hall."

Christian doesn't look reassured, and on cue Taylor calls in. Christian presses the call button on his steering wheel.

"Taylor."

"Mr. Grey, we have the guy on our tail. We must take a different route to lose him."

"Christ," Christian breathes. "How far back is he?"

"Just behind me, sir. We have another car of security behind him. We can trap him. Do you wish us to stop?"

Christian thinks for a while before taking a deep breath. "Yes. It's the only way. We'll just head straight to the camping site. I'll call you where, once you've lost him."

"Got it, sir. Later."

Christian ends the call and takes another deep breath. I squeeze his hand and he squeezes back.

"We'll lose him, Christian. Don't worry."

He nods and hits the accelerator, taking a different route. It's fine to speed up now as there's hardly anyone around. I look back to see Taylor and Sawyer stopped in the middle of the road, another black car behind them. He can't pull out onto the other side as there's cars coming down the left lane.

We race far into the trees and mountains until we reach a campsite where we stop. We think it's too risky to go straight home and so decide quickly that camping won't be so bad, as we have been planning to go camping for some time now. It shall be fun for a family outing, even if we don't stay for long. Christian calls Elliot and Mia, and they decide to come along, too.


	7. Chapter 7 - Camping

**A/N:** **Please review! Love you readers 3**

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

 **Camping**

 **Sunday, 20th August 2017**

 **Christian**

* * *

I pull up into the campsite and park the car. Anastasia and I hop out, stretching from sitting down for so long. Our children are still sound asleep in their car seats and we take some time to admire them. A moment later, we wake them up and they groan, rubbing their eyes from sleep.

"We're here," Ana sings.

"Mmm," Teddy groans, rubbing his tired eyes. "Where?"

"Camping!" I sing, unbuckling him out of his car seat.

Phoebe just falls asleep again as Ana picks her up and out of the car. I do the same with Teddy and he sounds more awake now. He wriggles to get down and I place him on his feet where he giggles and runs off to check the place out. My little monkey.

It takes some time and difficulty, with Ana laughing at me, to put up our tent but I manage with Anastasia's help. The tent is fairly big, with two separate rooms and a mini hallway so that four or more people could sleep in.

We change Phoebe and Teddy into their pajamas – a white unicorn onesie with rainbow hair for Phoebe and a green, scaled dragon with red eyes for Teddy. They love them.

Taylor and the guards finally arrive and inform us that the unknown man drove off without them finding out his identity. They brought tents of their own and they begin to set it up. I am frustrated with the mysterious man following us, but glad that he was gone and doesn't know where we are.

"Daddy, can we have a fire?" Teddy asks. Ah, he wants to toast marshmallows. He always does whenever we go camping.

"For marshmallows?"

"Yes!" His eyes light up. "Duh. We can't go without marshmallows!"

I smile. "Of course. Did you want to make a s'more?"

"Yes, yes, yes! That, too."

I laugh, thinking about how hyper he'll be once he's had sugar into his system.

Just as I'm setting up the fire, a car pulls up. Finally, the other Greys have arrived to join us. They hop out of the car with deep apologies.

"Don't be silly!" Ana reassures, hugging Kate as I hug my brother.

"Oh, the traffic was crazy and we got kind of lost," Kate explains.

We chuckle.

"Oh, my, gosh," Kate gasps, worry creasing her face. "I heard about that stalker guy. Or was it a woman? I can't believe it. Are you guys alright? Is he or she gone?"

"Kate, Kate, calm down," Anastasia reassures her, putting her hands on her best friend's shoulders. "We're all fine. We are certain it was a man, but he's fled."

"Thank God."

We help them set up their tent, also big, and they hop into their pajamas. Ana and I do the same to get more comfy and we all sit by the fire on our fold-out chairs. I found Teddy's and Phoebe's quite cute. Teddy has a wolf while Phoebe has a butterfly.

"Dad, where are the marshmallows?"

"Marshmawows, marshmawows!" Phoebe and Ava scream.

I chuckle at their attempt to say the word and open up a jumbo pack of mixed colored marshmallows. Both of them are still practicing their speech, so whatever they say is cute.

"Ponk!" Phoebe says as she puts a pink marshmallow oh her stick. Ava giggles and choses the same color.

Teddy grabs a handful of marshmallows of all colors and stacks them on his stick.

"Teddy!" Ana exclaims, amused and we laugh.

"What? These are good for you. You must have lots!"

"Really now?"

"Yeah, of course! Like, duh. They make you happy."

"Here, Ted, have these," Uncle Elliot whispers, handing him a few more marshmallows. Ted takes them with a grin and a thank you.

Ana gives him a pointed look and he winks.

"Ava, here you go." He gives a couple more to his daughter and earns a similar look from his wife.

"Like Ted said, they're good for you," he points out, popping a couple into his mouth.

We have many conversations, laughs, eat toasted, melted and sometimes burnt marshmallows and s'mores, play some guitar and sing songs. It's a very good time. Soon it reaches midnight and we all start getting ready for bed. With a goodnight to each other, we all part ways into our tents.

After brushing our teeth and visiting the loo, the kids are super tired as we tuck them in their mini sleeping bags with animals on them and kiss them goodnight. Thank goodness they aren't hyper like I thought they would be on all that sugar they consumed. They fall asleep instantly. Ana and I smile as we hop into our own sleeping bag – a shared one on top of a blow-up mattress.

That night, we share many kisses and hugs and chats but we decide not to have sex in case of the others hearing. The night eventually turns quiet and is filled with crickets singing and owls hooting.

oOoOoOo

The next morning, we are woken up late in the morning to the birds chirping in the trees. The smell of the blown out fire is strong, but nice and filled with good memories. Dew drips down from the tent ceilings from the cool morning.

When I walk out into the bright, overcast sky, I see Kate, Elliot and a few guards up, having breakfast. The smell of the bacon wafts into the air, making my stomach grumble. I check my phone which reads 9:33am. Wow, they're up earlier than me. Usually I wake up before Elliot ever does. Ana and I slept in a lot. Perhaps from staying up so late. I walk out and sit down on my fold-out chair.

"Good morning," Kate and Elliot chorus.

"Morning," I smile. "You're up early."

"And you're up late," Elliot says.

"Yeah, it's weird. I usually wake up at seven or eight."

"Hmm, I'm surprised I didn't hear any…noises last night." Elliot grins and waggles his eyebrows.

I shake my head at him. "Oh, like you can talk."

Kate giggles just as Anastasia wakes up, looking groggy from sleep.

"Good morning, sweetheart." I greet her with a kiss. She groans and pulls away.

"Morning breath."

I roll my eyes. I've already told her it doesn't bother me I don't know how many times.

Ana fetches some cereal into a bowl, pours milk onto it and drops a spoon in. I stand up to do the same but she hands me her bowl. I shake my head and push it back to her.

She pouts cutely. "I want you to have this one."

"But you got it for yourself," I protest. "Eat, Ana."

She sighs, deciding not to argue for such a fine morning and sits down with her food. I smile and grab my own, joining her. I make her stand up so I can sit down on the chair, then pull her down on top of me. She doesn't protest, just settles onto me, enjoying her food.

We have a few conversations right till 10am when all our kids wake up, rubbing their small eyes. They yawn as they come out and look for breakfast. I fetch Coco Puffs and some bacon and toast for Teddy and Phoebe as Katherine fetches some for Ava and they all sit down, gobbling it up. Geez, they're like vacuums. I love to see them eat, though.

After breakfast, once we're all dressed and freshened up – the kids are wide awake now, jumping and squealing around – we set out for some fishing by a lake among some bush. We catch a few big ones, and also some random junk like boots and seaweed – which we put into plastic bags to throw in the bin later – and the moment is filled with laughter. I love hearing my family laugh, especially the kids.

"Daddy, Mommy, look, I caught one!" Theodore shouts, showing us on his mini fishing rod. We can see it's a bass.

"Good job, buddy!" I say, ruffling his hair. He giggles. I love that giggle.

Ana smiles. I love that smile.

Ava and Phoebe are more interested in playing in the mud together rather than fishing, and I can already see them getting dirty. I shake my head. _Kids._

"Mommy, look what we've made; mud pies!" Ava says, showing a pile of mud in her hands to Katherine. Katherine grimaces but smiles at her daughter.

"Oh, they're lovely!"

Phoebe also has one, dripping mud onto the ground as she runs up to Ana. "Momma, for you."

"Oh, no thank you, darling, I'm quite full," Ana says with a smile. "I'm sure Daddy wants some, though."

Phoebe looks at me as I shake my head at her. "No, honey, I'm good as well."

I glare at Ana, who just smirks at me.

She looks at how dirty our daughter is and sighs. "You're very dirty, baby."

She grins and goes to eat the mud but Ana stops her quickly.

"No, no, honey, we don't eat dirt, okay? It's very unhealthy and tastes yucky."

She cocks her head and nods. "Oh. Okay." Then she throws the dirt on the ground, splattering some on Elliot.

He groans. "Hey!" He has a mischievous look in his eyes as he stares at my daughter. He puts down his fishing rod and chases her. She giggles and runs away, squealing. He finally catches her, swinging her around, laughing. "You're a cheeky little mongrel, you are." He puts her down once he places a kiss on her cheek.

I smile at them and grin at the mud on Elliot's t-shirt. He rolls his eyes and shrugs.

We fish for a little more till we can't catch anything other than common fish and junk, so we head back to the campsite together. The kids run off to play with leaves and sticks on the ground, while us adults settle down for a chat on the fold-out chairs. Taylor suddenly calls me to say that _Charlie Tango_ is ready to go. I grin.

I stand up from my chair and take Anastasia's hand, pulling her from her chair. She looks up at me, confused. The others look confused, also.

"We're going somewhere."

"Where?" Ana and everyone else ask at the same time.

I wink. "Secret. Come on."

"If we hear some noises among the trees, we'll just assume it's a bear trying to attack us and we'll call animal rescue immediately." My brother grins broadly at us, and the others laugh at the inside joke. "Let's hope it doesn't chop down the trees when it _comes_ –"

"Ow! Kate…" Elliot rubs his arm where his wife smacked him. He doesn't back down that soon though. "So, don't worry about us guys. We'll be safe. I'll give you luck, too. Just be careful not to get any _marks_."

"Bears?!" Theodore shrieks, part in fear and amazement. "There are bears here?"

"Yes, but they won't hurt you, don't worry," Kate reassures her nephew, patting his hair. "They just like to invade campsites now and then to scavenge for food."

"Will we be eaten, too, mama?" Ava asks. She crawls onto her mother's lap and cuddles close to her.

"No, sweetheart." Kate brushes as hand down Ava's light-blonde hair. "Not unless you harm them, but it's very rare for a bear to come here. It just happens now and then, as this is their home."

"The whole forest is their home?" Phoebe wonders, head tipped to the side.

Elliot chuckles. "Yep. But don't worry. The only thing you have to worry about is the noises in the forest your parents –"

"Kate, ow, quit that!"

"Well, shut up then."

He just rolls his eyes and continues. "So as I was saying, all you have to worry about is…The Claw!" And he attacks my daughter, Ava and Teddy with his hand, tickling them to the ground. They writhe and giggle on the floor, trying to squirm away from the Tickle Monster.

We all have to laugh and watch the show for a moment, even the guards. Moments like these are good to cherish, and I see Kate is snapping some pictures of them with her phone. She also sneaks a peek of Ana and I together and winks at me.

"Hey, bro, try not to let that bear make _too_ much noise…or he'll awaken the entire forest and command all the animals to attack us!"

"Oh no!" the children gasp and start running off into a tent, giggling all the way.

Elliot gives me a knowing look, but I ignore him and roll my eyes as I pull my wife away from the campsite and along a path into the bush. We walk for some time with Ana asking me where in the world we're going, but I dodge her questions and keep walking till we reach a large opening where our helicopter is set in place.

Ana's eyes open wide as she laughs in understanding. "So we're going for a ride?"

"Yep." I grin, thrilled. I love my rides. "This is what the surprise was going to be yesterday at lunch."

"Thank you, Christian. But, how the hell did you get her down here?" she wonders, but realizes as Taylor steps out of the vehicle. "Oh."

I shake Taylor's hand as he tells me she's been all checked out and ready for flight. I thank him and he walks off towards the campsite while I help Ana into the helicopter. I absolutely love buckling her up.

"No escaping now," I murmur.

Ana rolls her eyes at me and I give her a smoldering look. She grins defiantly and I just peck her nose.

"You tease."

I hop in the driver's seat and start her up for flight.

Ana giggles and I grin as we lift up into the air, pass the tops of the trees and start flying away. I pull her up even higher so we're in clear sky and there's nothing in our way.

"Thank you." Ana gives me a peck on the cheek and I grin wider. I love both my girls – my wife and my helicopter.

As we fly ever higher and roam around the scope of trees, hills, mountains and rivers with waterfalls, I decide to get Ana on board.

Her expression is priceless as she stares at me wide-eyed and worried.

"Ana, don't worry, I'll be here as co-pilot the whole time."

I kiss her cheek to reassure her and she bites her lip. I kiss that, too, so she lets it go. She knows how much that turns me on.

"Go ahead and grab onto the handles, baby…yep, there we go, not so hard. Now make sure this dial is in the center," I point to a screen where is shows a compass and on what path we're tracking, "and make sure this green light is on at all times." I show her the green light then show her the red button in the middle of the control panel underneath a plastic flap. "This one here is an emergency button. So if anything goes wrong it'll automatically go on auto-pilot and take us down to the ground straightaway." Anastasia looks very uneasy about that. "But don't worry, there'll be no crashes, trust me. I'm here."

"Okay," she breathes and smiles a little. "So…"

"Here." I show her how to steer and steer with her as co-pilot for a while until she is grinning with delight and has the hang of it. That's when I let go, and leave it all up to her. She is so concentrated on piloting and viewing the scenes that she hasn't noticed she is the only one flying until she glances at me. Her eyes go round and her mouth drops open as she immediately panics, looking straight-ahead and trying to keep Charlie Tango steady.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she stresses super-fast but she is grinning. "Holy shit, I'm doing it! I'm a pilot."

"You are. One gorgeous and one damn sexy hell of a pilot." I grin and kiss her on the cheek and down her neck. She giggles, trying to get out of the way.

"Christian!" she squeals, frantic. "I'm going to make us crash if you keep that up!"

I chuckle against her skin and nibble at her earlobe. I trace my tongue around her ear and whisper into it, "Take us down somewhere. On a mountain."

"On a mountain?! Why?"

"Just do it. We'll get some nice views." I look around and see a perfect landing on one. "Over there. Get ready to land."

She obeys and I help her steer and land safely on top of an abandoned, grassy mountain in the middle of nowhere.

In an instant, I unbuckle us both and press a button on the seats so they will recline down. I hover over her as she relaxes back on the chair and begin attacking and claiming her with my mouth. We are breathless by the time we pull up from our deep kissing session, and we start pulling off each other's clothes roughly. I flip us over when Ana is fully undressed, the way I want her to be as she straddles over me. I still have my jeans and jocks on, but Ana pops the button and unzips them in a frenzied haste while we devour one another's mouth and neck.

I groan as she pulls my swollen and thick, throbbing cock out of its confinement, and into the cool air. Then she begins to tease me by rocking her folds back and forth across my head until I am gripping her hair and waist hard and pleading her to go through with it. I am relieved that she is pregnant so I don't have to use bloody condoms. I hate the damn things.

"Come on, Ana," I say, breathless. "Ride me. Ride my cock."

She flushes brightly in arousal at my words and I see her pupils dilate as she grabs a firm hold on my manhood and strokes it a few times. I set my hands on her waist as she _finally_ sinks down on top of me and I am rewarded with her juicy wet warmth.

We both start up a rhythm; Ana riding me, and me thrusting up into her as she slides back down on top of me. The pace is a little slow, and I need _more_ , so I flip us back over and settle back inside her again, pushing her legs wide as I fuck her hard. Her body moves with the forceful thrusts, but she moans along with the rhythm I set up. Her eyes roll into the back of her head as I lean down to claim her mouth and neck once more. Our tongues intertwine in a battle of dominance, until she gives into me completely, surrendering up every ounce of her.

"Fuck, Ana," I cry.

"Christian, please…"

"Come for me, Ana, come. Come, now!"

And she unwinds, her body shaking through both of our intense orgasms. Her insides squeeze around me, pulling me over the edge, and I yell out as I spill myself inside her.

"Christian!"

oOoOoOo

"Well, I quite like helicopter sex," Ana breathes as she lays against my bare chest. I smile down at her and kiss her head.

"Really, now, Mrs. Grey?"

"Yeah. We should do it again sometime."

"Should we?"

She looks up at me, taken aback. "Why not? Don't you like it?"

I chuckle and comb my fingers through her hair. "Of course I like it. I want to. Fuck yeah. This was…something new."

"Mmm. Something new. A first."

"It sure was another first, Mrs. Grey. One I will only ever share with you." I kiss her temple.

After lying together and basking in the midday sun, cloud-gazing and watching the beautiful rainforests surrounding us, we decide to head back. Once we are dressed once more, we end our flight and land in the same large area in the trees as before, the closest large area to the camp where _Charlie Tango_ will fit.

Laughing and talking while holding hands, we hike back down to the campground where we are instantly met with little kids – Ava and our own – running up to us. They show us all the types of fish and other pieces of junk they found in the lake. Apparently they had pleaded to go back. I notice all of them have collected random rocks and pebbles as well as the fish and random junk that we say to chuck away as they look quite germy, and a lot of the pieces of metal and plastic are broken and can cause harm to our little ones. It's a good thing they got rid of the trash in the water to help save the other sea creatures, though.

The rest of the day is spent talking and laughing and telling stories by the fire that is now putout, before we have to start packing up.

"How did everyone like this camping trip?" I ask and the kids get all excited, jumping up and down.

"Awesome!" Ava squeals just as Theodore shouts, "Epic! We must do it again. Can we, can we? Please?"

"Yes!" Phoebe joins in. All of us have to chuckle. It causes Jacob to gurgle with a bright smile and we have to laugh at him, too. He seems to have loved the family outing and fresh air just as much as we have. The only downfall is all the irritating mosquitoes and other insects that just love to hang around and say hi.

It takes a while for us to pack, as the kids just run off to play together some more while all of us Greys are folding down the tents and packing them and all the other camping equipment back into our cars. There's another long talk and a long parting of goodbyes between the kids and Kate and Ana. But we eventually get ourselves into our own cars and head off home our separate ways.

We both stop at McDonald's for dinner – which the kids decide on and we have to agree to give them, and us, a treat for this special family trip. That also takes a long time for everyone to leave because the kids want to play on the playground longer. But we manage to drag them away and buckle them back into their car seats in the back seat, as Ana and I hop into the front and I drive us home.

Ana and I hold hands now and then on the way while chatting as it gets dark, and we smile at each other as we notice our kids completely knocked out asleep in the back.

It doesn't take long to wake them up, carry them indoors and get them ready for bed. Theodore and Phoebe are still sleepy once they're both in their PJ's and tucked into bed. They fall asleep instantly, which helps us.

Once we're showered and in nice, comfy pajamas, Ana and I crawl into bed and cuddle into each other. Tonight, we share a few whispered words and a few tender kisses and touches, nothing more, before we turn the lights out and drift off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8 - Honey

**A/N: Very long chapter, my apologies XD Still hope it's good.**

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

 **Honey**

 **Tuesday, 22nd August 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

Today at work is pretty much the same as yesterday, tiring, complicating and boring. Strange, because I usually love to work. Yesterday and today, I've felt unsettled, thinking about Christian too much. And the baby. Babies sure keep you on your feet. Nights have been a real nightmare to sleep, with the baby constantly kicking and growing inside me, keeping myself and Christian awake at night and day. I have also been getting morning sickness a lot. All this thinking has made me get so distracted easily. Like now, as I doodle swirls and random symbols onto a blank piece of paper…dreaming of my husband and children.

 _Get a hold of yourself, Ana!_ my subconscious chastises me.

I'm mainly worried about my husband's constant mood swings, as they are more potent than usual. This Hampton guy has really got Christian on the edge of a cliff. I wish that the guy is caught soon, because I miss normal Christian – he is too tense lately. And he keeps thinking I will leave him, but I don't get why. I would never leave him, not ever.

Sighing, I finish reading my fourth manuscript for the day and edit it, along with answering and sending some emails. I gather up the papers on my desk and place them into a neat pile beside my computer. I check the time to see it's 12:32 – lunch time. I'm not sure I'm that hungry though. I shrug and get back to work.

Today is Theodore's first day of kindergarten, and I am so happy that he is growing up. Christian had to go to work early but made time to see Teddy off.

He was extremely excited when I woke him up this morning, jumping up and down in the clothing he had picked himself to wear to preschool. One of his favourite superhero t-shirts – Spiderman – and jeans with his batman themed backpack.

Mrs. Jones was nice, having already made snack and lunch for him, and put them into his Finding Nemo themed lunchbox. I took a photo of him with his backpack on and holding a couple of books and he was grinning as though it was Christmas.

I can't believe he is so happy to go to preschool. I guess that's an excitement for every child, and the parents, for their first day of kinder or school. I'm glad he's going to learn new things, meet new people of his age and make friends. I hope he gets along well with his teachers and classmates and doesn't cause too much trouble. He'll be even more excited for first grade.

Even Phoebe is happy for him and she had begged me if she could go with him. I soothed her on the way of taking him to preschool and said she could go in a few years. She is staying home with Mrs. Jones taking care of her. I feel myself smile, emotional all over again, thinking about them.

Around 12:40, Justice, my new assistant, knocks on my office door.

"Come in."

He walks in and blushes when he sees me, standing awkwardly in the doorway. I smile at him and he blinks before smiling back. I sigh inwardly – Christian isn't the only Grey who has effects on people.

"Er…hello, Mrs. Grey…I, er…wondered if you would like soma tea?" he stumbles, fidgeting.

"Sure, Justice, thank you. You really don't have to get me one every day, you know." I grin at him. "I can manage on my own. I don't want to be too bossy. You do enough work."

"I know, I know. I like doing it." He smiles back at me and walks out. Eight minutes later, I have read an email and sent one back and Justice comes back with my tea and a muffin.

He places them on my desk and points to the muffin when I regard it warily. "Thought you might want to…eat, too. I made them myself from scratch."

"I'm not too hungry right now, but thank you." I take a sip of my tea, savoring the taste. "That's so sweet that you made some – didn't know you liked cooking."

He smiles but then his mouth turns down. "So…you want me to take it back?" He looks so unsure of himself and innocent that I have to be grateful and keep it. Well, not have to because I want to keep it and eat it. It really does look delightful.

I grin and laugh. "No! Justice, it's okay, you can leave it. I'll eat it soon. Thank you. You're too kind."

He grins smugly and walks out and I have to chuckle. Eventually, I feel hungry and begin eating the chocolate chip, banana muffin, moaning to the taste. Wow, Justice cooks well!

I walk to my door and yell out, "Thank you, Justice!" I point to the muffin as he looks up and grins, flushing. "It's delicious."

When I walk back to my desk, I almost kick myself when I see the screen.

 _Shit!_

I have to travel to New York for a book convention thing, and have to take Justice for backup. It's with a few other people but Justice is my main. I totally forgot about it. I have to leave this week, on Friday.

Oh no, Christian will be so mad.

And Phoebe's birthday is on Sunday. _Dammit!_

Annoyed at myself, I call Justice into my office to remind him and explain what it's all about. He looks surprised but wildly excited, especially because it's with me, I think. I will have to book us rooms. That is, if Christian will let me.

Ugh, life can be so complicating, especially with a control-freak husband. I chuckle when Justice leaves, stumbling on his way out in his haste and usual awkwardness.

Sighing, I decide to send him an email.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey  
 **Subject:** This Friday  
 **Date:** August 22 2017 13:54  
 **To:** Christian Grey

Hey, sorry for the short notice, I only just realized again today. I have to go to New York for a book convention this Friday. I will come back Saturday evening.

Hope you're not too mad.

Love you.

Ana x

CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

I wait five minutes, nervous, but there is still no answer. After nine minutes, still nothing and I wonder what Christian is up to. I brush it aside and focus on the task at hand, running through more newspaper articles. The familiar "ping" from my inbox sounds. I click on it, heart pounding.

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey  
 **Subject:** This Friday – Wtf?  
 **Date:** August 22 2017 14:13  
 **To:** Anastasia Grey

What happened to sticking to our agreement that we would tell us everything ASAP? I am already on edge from what happened last Wednesday, trying to find this piece of crap, and you're telling me this now?!

Too late for me to be angry. I am beyond mad.

PS: Is that new guy going with you?

Christian Grey

CEO, Grey Enterprises, Holdings, Inc.

* * *

Shit!

I hesitate on what to say next.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey  
 **Subject:** This Friday  
 **Date:** August 22 2017 14:16  
 **To:** Christian Grey

I said I was sorry for the short notice. I forgot. I am an adult who can take care of herself; I shouldn't need permission from you. I will be back on Saturday sometime. It's not that long.

And yes, I will be taking Justice. He has a name you know.

Anastasia Grey

CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

His response is almost immediate.

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey

 **Subject:** Like hell you will!

 **Date:** August 22 2017 14:20

 **To:** Anastasia Grey

You will NOT be going with him alone!

No arguments on that.

If you don't let me come with you, you're not going at all.

Christian Grey

CEO & Two Palms twitching, Grey Enterprises, Holdings, Inc.

* * *

I frown. _What is with him lately?_

 _Goddammit! Two twitching palms!_

My subconscious is frowning and my inner Goddess is wearing her karate uniform, ready to fight. It is my decision whether to go someplace or not and whoever with, not his. He can't force me to go with who he pleases or stay back with him. Hell, I'll be going no matter what. My inner Goddess grins.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey  
 **Subject:** This Friday – Wasn't going to argue  
 **Date:** August 22 2017 14:23  
 **To:** Christian Grey

Nope, no arguments on this.

That's why I will be going whether you like it or not, and with whomever I please. I am not a child asking for her daddy's permission. You are my husband, not my older brother or parent. I am glad that you care for my safety, but I can make my own decisions. It is my life after all.

Anastasia Grey

CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

I grin smugly, rather pleased with myself. Let's see how he'll take that! _He will not take that well, you already know that,_ my subconscious insists, her lips pursed.

 _Oh, shut up!_ I tell her.

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey  
 **Subject:** Frustrating Women  
 **Date:** August 22 2017 14:28  
 **To:** Anastasia Grey

The answer is NO.

Yes, this is your life where you can make up your own choices, but I am in your life. I can have some choice in relation to my wife's safety. I don't want you to go at all, but seeing as you are so persistent, you will take security, then, if nothing else. This Hampton guy is still on the loose – he could easily find you.

Christian Grey

CEO & Two palms burning, Grey Enterprises, Holdings, Inc.

* * *

Yikes, palms burning!

 _Told you so,_ my subconscious says to irritate me to death. I poke my tongue at her like a two year old and try my best to ignore her.

I scowl at the message, trying to think of my own argument, one that he can't change. I don't want to take bloody security! It would be humiliating and silly. I will be fine – I can defend myself perfectly on my own, and besides, I'll be in public places most of the time. Christian is not going to use his inner control-freak on this.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey  
 **Subject:** Aggravating Men who locks their wives in his fortress.  
 **Date:** August 22 2017 14:32  
 **To:** Christian Grey

Stow your twitching palms, Mr. Grey.

I am a strong woman who can defend for herself, so no, I will not be taking security with me – I will most likely be with someone at all times while I am away, anyway, and I am sure this Grant guy will want me alone. No need to worry. I have this under control. I am going to this convention with Justice alone to meet up with other publishing editors where I will be safe. And don't worry; I'll book me and Justice a separate room.

Glad that's settled.

Ana x

CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

 _Ha, ha, ha! What will you do about that, Grey? I will not be backing down so easily! If you think you can change my mind on this, well, you're wrong, buddy._

 _Just wait for it…_ my subconscious speaks up, tapping her foot. My inner Goddess is hiding underneath my desk with no intention of coming out anytime soon.

I wait for his message but it doesn't come. I wait five minutes more and still nothing.

 _Uh-oh_ _…_

How is he reacting to this message?

I drum my fingers on my desk, waiting, failing to concentrate on work.

The "ping" from my inbox sets my heart racing.

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey  
 **Subject:** Grrr!  
 **Date:** August 22 2017 14:36  
 **To:** Anastasia Grey

You have outdone yourself this time, Mrs. Grey.

Set me beyond mad.

No, I didn't want to argue on this matter, yet you were persistent enough to keep going.

You better watch out.

Christian Grey

CEO & Two palms scorching, Grey Enterprises, Holdings, Inc.

* * *

 _Fuck!_

Two palms scorching! _Oh no_ _…_

What does he mean, I better watch out?

Watch out for what?

 _Shit, shit, shit._

My subconscious has her snarky, I-told-you-so face on and my inner Goddess is nowhere to be seen. _Thanks a lot guys,_ I mutter mentally.

I drop my head into my hands, groaning. What am I thinking? Of course Christian will react this way – he is worried for my safety and is a jealous man. I can't persuade him otherwise, that everything will be okay. Usually he'll see one side and stick to it. I vaguely wonder just how mad he is…

Taking a deep breath, I reply to his email.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey  
 **Subject:** Growling? Never a good sign…  
 **Date:** August 22 2017 14:41  
 **To:** Christian Grey

Watch out for what?

Anastasia Grey

CEO, Editor in Chief & anxious as hell, Grey Publishing

* * *

I close my inbox and look back through my work, trying to ignore the anxious feeling. What will he do when I get home? Oh crap, we are definitely going to have another fight. I don't want to. I just want him to see how safe I'll be on my own. I managed not to get killed on Wednesday night, didn't I?

The familiar "ping" sounds from my inbox. I click on it, cringing.

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey  
 **Subject:** Oh, I'm roaring.  
 **Date:** August 22 2017 14:46  
 **To:** Anastasia Grey

You don't want to argue with me, Ana.

Trust me when I say that you should watch out.

Christian Grey

CEO & Two palms still scorching, Grey Enterprises, Holdings, Inc.

* * *

Crap! I really made him mad.

Oh no, what am I going to do?

I can't think of anything to reply to that, so I close my inbox and check through my work. I am so worried and curse myself for being so stupid – I can't argue with him. He gets much too angry.

Palms scorching, jeez!

In spite of the situation, I laugh. I know he will want to use those palms on me when I got home. I shudder at the thought, but feel oddly aroused. Sometimes his ways of coping with his anger is welcoming, though it seems silly to think of it like that.

It's almost 3pm when I finish my work, still a little nervous about coming home, but more relaxed once I got my mind stuck into some work. Work is a place where I can distract my mind away from my personal life. At exactly 3:01pm, Hannah knocks on my door saying that Mr. Grey is anxious to see me in reception.

Oh, fuck.

I'm dead.

Because I do not want to fight with him right now, I tell her to tell him that I'm busy, I'll see him later. But she comes back shortly after with a worried expression to say that he is much too persistent to see me and will come barging into my office if I don't come down to meet him now.

 _Ugh, great._

Sighing, I thank Hannah and anxiously take the elevator down to reception where I see Christian pacing, hands balled into fists at his sides and his expression set that of utter fury and one not to be messed with. Shit… When he catches my wide-eyed stare, he glares at me and worried what he'll do, I turn on my heel, and go to walk back to my office but he catches my arm and pulls me straight outside.

"Oh, no you don't," he hisses under his breath and pulls me up the street.

"Christian, let go!" I cry, tugging on the wrist he's clutching tightly. He ignores me, muttering to himself. Where the hell is he taking me? "Christian, where are we going?" Again, he ignores me, stalking up the street and dragging me along. "Ugh, I've left all my stuff back there, you know."

He shoots me a glare that sets me quiet and he continues to pull me up the path. Eventually I grow irritated, and stop, tugging back when Christian tries to get me to walk. I finally manage to yank my hand out from his grasp. He gives me a cool stare, his mouth set in a hard line as he studies me for a while. Then, seeming to make up his mind, he bends down and sweeps me up off the ground by my waist, throwing me over my shoulder.

"Christian!" I yell at the sudden rush of the movement. He spanks my behind, rather hard, and walks back in the direction we came from. Shit, he is mad, really, really mad. Why? "You're making a scene, Christian, people are staring." He mutters something under his breath that I can't catch and keeps walking. "Goddammit, Christian, put me down!"

He only does that in front of the black Audi which Taylor is standing at, opening the back door for me to hop in. I throw a glance at Christian, frowning. I am still working; I'm not going to go home now!

"Get in," Christian says through his teeth, pinning me with his cold stare, his mouth pressing into a hard line.

I cross my arms and scowl back at him. "I'm still working, Goddamn it, and I don't have any of my stuff."

Christian nods at Taylor who walks into the Publishing house, probably to fetch my phone and purse. Grrr, I am not ready to go home just yet.

"Get in, Anastasia," Christian growls through his teeth again, persuading me not to mess with him. I huff, irritated, and get in the car, sliding all the way to the other side. I cross my arms over my chest as Christian gets in beside me, staring straight ahead and buckles his seatbelt. His expression is still cool when I take a peek.

"Put your seatbelt on," he says, his voice now quiet but holding a cool edge. He doesn't look at me.

Damn, I shouldn't have argued with him over email. Or at all.

I obey just as Taylor hops in the driver's seat and passes me my things before starting up the car. I take my things and place them by my side, continuing to cross my arms over my chest. I am not in a happy mood. Neither is Christian. The whole drive to our house, he stays quiet and I do the same, too mad to talk.

When we arrive, I stalk out of the car and into the house, and Christian follows right on my heel, not giving me a chance to escape. When I look in the living room I see that Phoebe isn't there, only the cats who are sleeping in their cat beds. I look around, confused, wondering if she's in the kid's playroom or upstairs in her bedroom, but it's ghostly quiet.

"Kate went to pick up Ted from kindergarten in case you're wondering. She took Ted, Phoebe and Ava to the park. I told her it was fine and ordered her to stay out for a couple of hours." Christian regards me with an icy stare. "Just as well, because I want some time alone with you."

I throw my hands up in the air. "Why are you so mad? All I said was that I could take care of myself."

Christian scoffs. "No, Ana, you can't. Not as much as you think."

"I can use a gun, for crying out loud!" My voice is rising, my anger flaring out as he pins me with his cool stare yet again. "Something you can't do." He flinches at that.

"That doesn't mean that bastard can't use that against you!" Christian is shaking with rage now, trying to get his point across. "He had a knife that night, Ana. He could have killed you!"

"I was perfectly fine," I defend myself, glaring.

"It was a close enough call! You have no care for your safety, whatsoever, so I think I can have a say in how you're going to New York." He rakes his hands through his hair. "You promised me you would use security, always, but now this?"

I purse my lips, not knowing what to say, too mad to care.

"You promised, Ana, yet you were trying to break that promise." Christian looks hurt now and I have the urge to soothe him.

"I…I wasn't trying to break anything," I mumble, a little confused. What happened to the strong, angry woman just two seconds ago? My subconscious shakes her head in disgust while my inner Goddess has her arms crossed, stomping away like an angry toddler. "I just wanted to prove that I could take care of myself."

He narrows his eyes at me, hissing through his teeth. "A few years ago, when you were pregnant with Theodore, you went and risked yourself to save my sister. You ended up in hospital and nearly died. You put yours and Ted's life at risk. I don't want that to happen again. Can't you see how much I care about your welfare? I don't want you to leave me." His voice is a little choked at the end.

"No, Christian, I won't leave you," I breathe, hurt that he thinks I will. That I _could._ I walk up to him and hold his hand, squeezing it for reassurance. "I would never leave you. Why would you think that?"

His expression softens, turns into that of dread. He closes his eyes, inhaling as he does. "You could die."

I gasp, taking in his pained expression. I now know the main point behind his anger. He is so worried about me dying that he will do anything to get me to use security. Tears prick my eyes at the thought of causing him pain by dying. I can't let that happen. I take a deep breath and kiss his hand.

"Christian, I'm sorry," I breathe, trying to contain my emotion. "I didn't know you were that worried. I'm not that excited to go to this New York thing anyway, so I'll get someone else to go. I can go and use security, but I don't want to leave you."

He opens his eyes and cocks his head.

"You could take me with you," he whispers and brushes his lips against my hand. I smile, welcoming the warmth the gentle touch of his lips bring.

"That I could," I agree. "But it's Phoebe's birthday on the 27th anyway. I don't want to miss that. Family comes first."

Sighing, he pulls me into his arms, and wraps his arms around me as I wrap mine around him. He inhales my hair and kisses it.

"I can't stay mad at you for long," he murmurs, chuckling.

I giggle. "I can't stay mad at you for long, either."

He grows serious. "But I still want to spank you."

I take a deep breath and look up at him. "Then spank me."

He inhales sharply, holding me tighter. He buries his face into my neck and nuzzles it. We stay like that for a time, standing in the entrance to the living room, holding each other. He breaks away and holds out his hand. Cautiously, I take it, regarding his expression, but it's impassive.

He leads me upstairs to our bedroom, shutting the door behind us, and sets me down on the bed, then walks into our walk-in wardrobe. I try to peek at what he is doing but it's difficult to see. Christian comes back with a seductive smirk, holding a silver tie.

Holy fuck. _That_ tie. Our favorite one.

"Stand up," he whispers once he's in front of me.

Biting my lip to hide my smile, I stand up.

"Put your arms up," he orders, a wicked intent in his eyes.

 _What are you going to do to me today, Mr. Grey?_

I hold my arms up straight, and he takes my t-shirt off over my head. His eyes roam down my body as he unclips my bra, revealing my breasts. He licks his lips once and bends down, taking his time undoing my jeans and pulling them down. He glances up at me under his lashes and kisses me between my legs a few times, making me gasp and grab onto his shoulders for balance.

Slowly, he slides my panties down my legs, and once I step out of them he sniffs them before chucking them with the rest of my clothes. Man, he loves to do that. He bends forward again and nuzzles his nose in my pubic hair, inhaling. Wow, that's sexy. He kisses my sensitive skin, using his tongue, and I moan.

Satisfied, he stands up and pulls me in for a deep, hungry kiss. I taste my arousal on his tongue and moan. I wind my hand into his hair as he caresses my face and back. Too soon, he pulls away, leaving me breathless and wanting more. Trying to calm down his breathing, he grabs my waist and turns me around so my back is facing him.

"Do you trust me?" he asks, voice low next to my ear. I shudder and nod.

"You'll need a safe word," he continues while stroking both sides of my body. My breathing spikes. "Pick one."

Momentarily, I'm dazed, not sure what to say.

"Pick one, Ana," he begs. "Please."

"Um…ponk." I think of my daughter's word for pink.

"Ponk?" He sounds amused and I smile.

"Yes."

"Okay, remember that."

I nod and tip my head back as he continues to tickle my skin lightly.

"Bend over," he adds after a time.

I am panting and already aroused as I do what he says.

Quickly, he grabs my hands and holds them together behind my back. He does work of tying them together in that position with his tie. Oh, he really wants to play.

"You look delectable like this, Mrs. Grey," he says, and I can hear his smile. "Stay there and don't turn around." I do as I'm told and he walks away.

Time ticks by and I wonder what the hell he's doing. What feels like half an hour later though it's probably only been ten minutes, I hear the shuffling of his pants as he comes up behind me. He places a few things on our bedside table, and then brings his attention back to me. When I peek behind me, he's bare-chested and wearing his favorite pants, the ripped ones. DJ's – Dom Jeans.

Oh my…

He smacks my behind playfully and I gasp, looking into his eyes. They're blazing with lust, playfulness, slight anger and wicked intent.

"Turn around," he commands with a smirk and I do, trying to hide my amusement. "Good girl."

Quickly, he braids my hair, using a hair tie to keep it together. Once he is done, he pulls my braid, causing me to tip my head back and look at him leaning over me.

"I want to be very rough with you," he admits, breathless, his eyes full of desire and carnal promise. "Not to hurt you," he adds after a moment. "But to send a message. I want you safe, Ana."

His eyes are so intense and face serious that I am bemused and my inner Goddess cringes away. I nod to reassure him.

"Then be rough with me," I mumble, panting. I catch his eyes blaze and lips part before he lets go of my braid so my head falls back down onto the bed.

"What's the safe word, Anastasia?"

"Ponk," I say without hesitation.

"Good girl."

Ever so quickly, before I have time to prepare myself, he smacks me, hard, making me cry out at the pain and unexpectedness.

He smacks me again, his need to be rough with me very clear. I cry out and when I do he smacks me again.

"Quiet," he orders in my ear and I purse my lips to keep quiet.

He smacks me again and again, hard, the sound of his slap echoing and the familiar sting ringing out to remind me how angry I've made him. He rubs my behind gently, and I never know when he'll smack me next.

He does again, twice, harder, and I can't keep a whimper in.

"Ah!" I cry as my behind aches. I can feel myself aroused through the pain.

Christian is breathless, getting off on his show as he tries to calm his anger down. The scent of his arousal wafts through the air, mixing with my own.

I tell myself that this will be all over soon, that he needs this, and that it doesn't hurt too much. Because it doesn't, really. Christian would never hurt me too much.

He takes a few slow breaths, and smacks me again, this time on the tops of my thighs.

"Feel it, Ana," he whispers through his teeth. "Feel how angry you make me."

He smacks me again and again quickly, making me whimper again. Then he rubs me gently for a moment before smacking me four more times. I writhe and pant, waiting for his next slap, but it doesn't come. Twenty-five spanks. My ass is stinging sharply.

Ow…

"Good girl," Christian breathes and kisses my burning behind. "You did so well. My love…" he kisses me again, "my life…" he kisses me a third time, brushing his lips along my backside, "my future…" and again, his lips tickling my skin, "my more," his lips press into my skin once more, "my everything. Mine."

My heart melts at his words.

Instead of continuing, Christian walks over to the bedside table to grab something, I think. He comes back shortly after and it sounds like he is lathering his hands with something. My silent observation is correct when he begins to massage my behind, his hands smothered in some type of sticky oil. Oh, it feels good. It feels like honey. Then I become confused when it smells like honey. That's not really…

Holy shit, it is.

I moan, savoring the pleasure of his hands smoothing the honey over my behind. Wiping away the stinging of his angry smacks. Too soon, he stops and I wonder what he'll do next. Then I feel something wet, small and tickly stroke my cheeks that I gasp and giggle. What the hell is that? It moves all around my ass, gathering up the honey. It takes me awhile to figure out what it is. It's his tongue, Goddamn it!

 _Holy, shit._

"You taste so sweet, Ana," he murmurs, voice deep.

I giggle at the tickling sensation and gasp when his tongue moves into the crack between my buttocks, moving up and down, spreading the honey inside it. Holy Gods, this is stimulating. I can't help humming as he continues. Moments later, he stops, and I feel more honey being poured between my cheeks, and feel his hands spreading it in there. I yelp at the strange, unfamiliar feeling.

"Stay still," he breathes, and he sounds amused and aroused. He stops spreading the honey over me and hangs around the bedside table for a little while before coming back to me. I gasp when I feel another liquid being spread into the crack of my behind, something even more unfamiliar, alien even. I squeal when he sticks two of his fingers inside my asshole, my sphincter muscle tightening at the unexpected feeling.

"Ah-uh, open up, Ana," Christian scolds, moving his fingers around and around and deeper inside my rear end. "Push outwards." I gasp, shocked at how simple he says it, but obey and he slips his lubricated fingers even deeper inside me. That's when I figure it out – he's putting lube in me! He wants to fuck me in that end! Oh, Gods. Panic settles over me and my breathing becomes erratic.

"Hush," Christian soothes, stroking me inside slowly, gently. "Relax, Ana, baby. Breathe. There's nothing to be afraid of. We will go through with this, so calm down. I really want to claim your ass, today, Ana. But only with your permission. May I? May I fuck that sweet, delectable ass of yours?"

 _Oh, sweet Jesus_. Those last words wash through my core, making my toes curl, my body afire.

I take a deep breath to think about it and realize I am heavily aroused at the thought of him taking me _there_. "Yes. Please."

"Yes, what?"

I bite my lip. "Yes, please, Sir."

He kisses my back and strokes my hair with his free hand, soothing me, and strangely it does calm me. "There we go." He pulls out his fingers, and I hear the sound of him tasting the lube off his fingers. He shows his index finger out to me, and I see it's still covered in lube. It smells like French vanilla, making my mouth water.

Holy, fuck, he thinks of everything.

"Suck," he demands, his voice husky, his breathing harsh. He pushes his finger against my lips and I take it in, sucking, tasting the vanilla and the taste of myself from my behind. Very strange flavor, but the vanilla tastes delicious. Like vanilla ice cream or yoghurt. It is amazing how lubricants can taste exactly like fruit or other foods.

"Suck, Ana, suck. Harder." His husky words arouse me, making me suck harder. "Yes, Ana, taste it, taste yourself."

"Hmm," I hum around his fingers, sucking harder, pulling his finger in and out of my mouth. I am conscious of the sounds of his breathing spiking, and I know he is as aroused as me. He tugs his finger but I don't let him take it and bite down on him playfully. He gasps and immediately spanks my ass. I flinch and moan.

"Enough," he commands, his voice low and dominantly seductive. Feeling cheeky, I bite down harder and he grunts. He spanks me again. "Let go, Ana."

I do, sucking him once more and he pulls his finger out of my mouth swiftly.

"Naughty, sweet girl," he pants, and I feel him hold onto my waist. He pushes himself up against me so I feel his clear erection digging into the apex of my thighs. I gasp. "Have you been a naughty girl, Ana?"

I blink and my heart races at his words. He really is acting the dominant today. He spanks me when I don't answer him.

"Answer me!"

"Yes, Sir, I have," I moan. I am utterly past arousal, just wanting him to _take me already. For the love of God, please just take me!_

"I know you have." His voice is low, husky, demanding. He spanks me once more. I flinch this time.

"I'm sorry, Sir," I say straightaway to calm him down. He bends over and kisses my cheek.

"Good girl," he breathes, kissing me again. "I won't do another round of spanking seeing as your behind must be very sore, and quite frankly, my palms are, too."

Thank heavens for that.

My heart and breathing spikes when I hear the familiar sound of his button popping undone and his zipper undoing. He slips on a condom after breaking it out of its packet.

"Shh, hush, Ana," he demands, close to my ear. "Breathe."

"Christian," I gasp, fear clutching onto me. Wait, where'd that desperate need go for him to claim me? "I don't…I don't know if I can –"

"Shh," he reassures me, stroking my back lightly. "You'll be fine, Ana. You've done it many times before and you're fine. You love it, remember? We'll go slowly at first. I'm not going to hurt you. Relax, baby."

"I –"

"Ana," he cuts me off once more, this time a warning. "Stop worrying. I want you to trust me, baby. Can you do that?" He bends down and kisses my behind a few times to calm me. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," I breathe with no hesitation. I always trust him.

"Ready?"

I nod, not totally ready for what he is about to do and prepare myself. I'm worried his anger will hurt me. But it never has before, so why should I be so worried? I don't know why I am. I trust Christian with all my heart. I know he'll never hurt me. He can only hurt me by leaving me, which is out of the question at the moment.

"I am going to fuck you in your behind, hard and quick, to remind you how angry you make me, how much I care for your safety," he growls, holding onto my braid and winding it around his wrist to keep my head in place. "How much I love you."

I shut my eyes tight, feeling his erection against my behind, waiting for it to happen. And ever so quickly, he thrusts inside me, quick and harshly, making me scream. _Holy Gods…_ He stills instantly, panting hard, and asks, "Are you okay, baby?"

"Yes," I rasp. A moment passes as I catch my bearings. "I'm okay – keep going."

He moves into me slowly, in and out. It takes a while for me to accustom to the alien feeling but eventually it feels good. More than good. I moan and it spurs Christian on. He gains up speed till he's really moving, till he's fucking me. I cry out at the mixed feeling of pleasure and pain. Tightening my fingers around the bit of tie that dangles from my wrists, he pounds into me, jerking me forward, his breathing hot and heavy. Holy fuck this is intense. I feel like I'm going to explode.

"You. Are. Mine," he growls through thrusts, his words a staccato, gripping onto my waist and braid more securely. "Only mine. You will do what I say to ensure your safety and not argue. You. Are. Mine. I. Love. You."

I swallow at his words, trying to control my panting and the need for release.

"Tell me, Ana," he growls, "tell me you're mine."

"I'm yours," I gasp, wanting release, wanting him to calm down. "Please!"

"Yes," he hisses, thrusting into me quicker. "Always mine, baby. And I am yours." He reaches around my waist with one hand and gently strokes my clitoris, spurring me on and I moan.

"Yes." It is all I can manage to say. This is my beautiful man, my Fifty, and I love him. He loves me.

"You. Are. So. Beautiful. I. Want. You. So. Much. You. Are. Mine," he breathes through thrusts as he trails kisses up and down my back.

I cry out, tears rising, as the sensations in my behind and clitoris and the power of his words become too much.

"Please," I beg in desperation. "Please, Christian."

"What do you want, Anastasia?"

"I want you. I want to come. Please."

"Yes," he growls and thrusts into me once more, my orgasm riding out. "That's right, baby, yes! Come for me."

My sphincter muscles tighten down around him and he growls out and stills when he finds his release. He collapses on top of me, panting, filling me up as I try to calm my breathing. Once he calms down, he unties my hands and places them by my sides, but doesn't pull out from me. He lies down on top of me again, holding me close, kissing my shoulder.

"I love you so much, Ana," he murmurs, the love in his voice making his words clear. "You are my everything. My more." I almost choke on the love they bring.

"I love you, too, Christian," I gasp, my eyelids fluttering with emotion.

As the sensations subside, the powerful emotions collide and set me shaking and crying. I don't even know what for. Panicking, Christian gets off me, pulls out of me gently and turns me around to face him. Slipping off the condom and disposing of it, he demands to know what's wrong but I cannot speak. I am too emotional to speak, too confused to form words.

"Oh, Ana, I'm so sorry," he cries and lays down beside me on the bed, pulling me into his arms, into his chest. He rocks me back and forth, stroking my hair, apologizing over and over again, and again.

What is he apologizing for? He has done nothing to hurt me. His anger scared me but what he did didn't hurt me. I liked it. I just feel emotional and tired of our arguments. Tired of things happening to us.

I want to explain this to Christian but right now I can't speak and I'm suddenly too tired to. He just holds me in his arms, soothing me and apologizing.

"Hush, Ana, please," he breathes, his voice choked-off. "I can't bear it when you cry. I hate myself for making you cry. Was I too rough? Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry." He hates himself? No! He didn't even make me cry. It's all on me.

"N-no," I stutter through my emotion, trying to break out of my silly reaction. "Please. It's not you. I'm just emotional. I d-don't know why. Please don't ha-hate yourself."

He looks at me, pained, and strokes my cheek.

"Why are you emotional? Why so sad?"

"B-because I am s-scared something will happen to one of us. I hate us fighting. I worry we'll separate…or do something stupid and…get ourselves killed. I don't want to have this baby alone. I d-don't want to lose you."

Christian sucks in a breath and almost looks as though he's going to cry too. He brushes away my tears and kisses my forehead softly. "No. You are not going anywhere. I am not going anywhere. You will not lose me, I promise." He kisses me again. "I promise. Nor will you lose Theodore and Phoebe, or the baby. We will have the baby together. We will be with you, always." I sniff, blinking back my tears and take a few deep breaths. His words are soothing.

"There, there," he breathes, touching his lips to my forehead again but this time leaving them there. "Hush, my sweet, sweet, Ana. You mean the world to me. I will not go anywhere. I could not."

His words almost set me crying again, but I hold the sobs back, breathing deeply. I snuggle into his chest and kiss it, and he automatically pulls me into him closer.

"That was…" I begin, blinking in surprise. I laugh. "Well. That was sure something."

He chuckles. "Yes, it was." He tenses. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

I pull back to look at him, seeing his pained expression.

"No! You didn't hurt me at all. Well, slightly, but it was bearable. And I wasn't crying over that. I'm pregnant, remember – my emotions are heightened and all over the place." I smile at him for reassurance. He smiles at that. "Don't feel bad, Christian. You needed this. We both did. It was fine, more than fine. I loved it."

He sighs and strokes my hair, searching my face for answers.

"I got too angry. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's fine." I put my fingers on his lips and he kisses them, smiling at me, his good mood restored. I giggle and reach up for a kiss. He responds, moaning, tasting, before pulling back and tucking me into his chest. I close my eyes, sated.

We stay cuddled there for a time, listening to the sound of the birds singing sweetly in the trees, our dogs barking, our cats meowing (possibly for food or company), and the noises of traffic and the neighborhood.

oOoOoOo

"My butt's still wet," I say randomly after a few moments. It sets him cracking up laughing and I have to join him. We laugh like hyenas for a time, before he gets up, picks me up with him and carries me towards the en-suite. He sets me down and takes out my braid gently, and I shake my head to let my hair fall down. I giggle as some honey drips off of me, and he ushers me into the shower.

I scream when he turns it on and jump back as the icy cold water washes over me. Laughing, he pushes me into the freezing water, making me squeal and jump up and down, my body shuddering. He comes in after me, still laughing, and pulls me into him.

"C-Chris…tian…t-t-turn the w-water off!" I stutter through my shattering teeth. "I'm f-f-freez-z-zing!"

He chuckles, messing my hair up and turning the hot water on, immediately soothing my skin. "That better?"

"Oh, my, gosh," I sigh in relief, closing my eyes to the warmth. "So much better." I whack him on the arm with a mock-glare and he chuckles. "That was mean. No turning it back."

"Yes, ma'am." He grins as he salutes and I roll my eyes at him, savoring the warmth of the water. My goose-bumps eventually disappear as the warmth surrounds me.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me, Mrs. Grey?" When I open my eyes out of the running water, he looks amused. His eyes are hooded.

"Yep." I pop the 'p' and smirk. "Whatchu gonna do about it?"

"Oh, I'll think of something." He grins at me and pecks my lips, then turns me around so my back is to his front and he places his hands on my behind. I giggle as his hands rub in circles, tickling me, washing off the honey and vanilla.

"You smell so damn good, Ana," he breathes, kissing my neck. "Like honey and vanilla and apples and Ana. I could jump into a pool of that scent and never come out."

"Hmm," I hum, enjoying him rub and squeeze my bum cheeks. "I'm not too familiar with the scent of Ana. I wonder what that smells like…"

A sudden rumbling growl escapes him. "I could show you, if you'd like."

I bite my lip to hide my smile. "No thanks, I'm good."

"I always know when you're biting your lip," he breathes, and squeezes my cheeks a little harder. I gasp in delight. "And I will show you what Ana smells like."

So quickly I don't have time to catch my breath, he thrusts two fingers into my folds from behind, creeping deep to my back wall. I cry out in pleasure and lay my head back against his chest. He rolls my nipples in turn between his free fingers. I moan and he bends to kiss my neck.

"Can you smell her now?" he breathes in my ear, making me shudder.

"No," I gasp and he growls, kissing a trail along my neck.

"I shall rectify the situation," he says and pulls out his fingers from my folds. I moan, wanting him to keep them in there. He holds them up to my nose, and I smell my arousal from his wet fingers. "Can you smell her _now_?" His voice is deep and husky, sending warmth straight down _there_.

"Yes," I pant, wanting his fingers back inside me. "Yes, I do."

He kisses my neck and pushes his fingers into my already open mouth, spreading my arousal onto my tongue.

"Can you taste her?" he urges, biting my neck.

I gasp and nod.

"Tell me you can."

"I can, I can," I moan, silently pleading him for more. I can sense his amusement. He is enjoying this, I can tell.

"And does she taste good?"

I decide to play along with him.

"Yes, yes, she does." I groan as he teases me with his tongue against my skin. "Oh, please…"

"Hmm, I'll have to taste this Ana myself," he breathes, voice husky and with sensual promise. _Yes! Please, oh, please. Put your fingers back inside me. They felt so good._

But to my surprise, he turns me around and swiftly bends down in front of me, causing me to grab onto his shoulders so I don't fall over. He trails kisses up both my legs, sweetly, softly and slowly, prolonging my need. He gazes up at me and cocks his head to the side.

"What do you want, Anastasia?" His tongue rolls off my name so beautifully that desire sets hot and deep into me. I moan at the sudden feeling and the position he is in. He is at my mercy.

"Kiss me," I order and his lips lift as he bends forward and begins to kiss me between my legs. Really kissing me; sucking and using his tongue, like he would if he were kissing my lips. Oh, fuck, this is amazing. I tip my head back and groan, my fingers grasping tufts of his wet hair.

"Oh, Ana tastes gloriously stimulating," Christian murmurs against my sensitive skin, and goes to lick my clitoris, sending more achy needs to press between my legs. His tongue invades my inner lips and strokes upwards over my clitoris, nearly making me topple over with sensation. I moan in desperation as my hips move with his tongue.

"Stay still," he commands, making me giggle then gasp when his tongue flicks over my clitoris again. "Come for me, Ana." His words set me on the edge of need, and I want to do just that, but I somehow need something else for me to come. As if sensing it, Christian sighs and peers up at me.

"You need something else, I see." He cocks his head in contemplation, deciding what he wants to do with me. "Perhaps…" he holds out his fingers, "these? Or…" he grasps his cock and I gasp, "this?" He grins and stands up and begins to play with his erection, moving his hands up and down, teasing me. I moan and reach out but he pulls back, out of my reach. I frown at him and reach out again. He keeps pulling back when I do and chuckles.

"You want this?" He holds out his cock to me in a sensual gesture and I nod. I frown at him when he still doesn't let me touch him. "If you want something, you're going to have to communicate. Tell me, Ana."

"Yes," I mutter, biting my lip. "I want you."

"What part of me?"

Oh, is he seriously going to make me say it?

"That." I point at his erection.

"What's that?" He's smirking at me, amused.

"Your erection," I say, flushing crimson. I peek up at him under my lashes, wondering what he'll say. His eyes are dark but sparkling with joy.

"So what do you want?"

I huff in frustration. He really wants me to say it all! Two can play at this game.

Without hesitation I whisper, "I want your cock."

He grins in desire and nods. "Oh, I know. Kneel for me, baby."

I blink at him but do as he asks, kneeling down in front of him. My eyes widen at the size of his penis as he steps closer to me.

"Suck. Suck me hard, baby." His look is dark and his intention carnal. I can see he wants this and badly. Usually it's always me offering to give him oral pleasure, but from time to time he'll beg me to do it. "Show me your love, Ana."

I gasp and blink up at him and he gazes down at me with lust and love. I grasp onto his legs for support and lick him, hearing him catch his breath. I see his eyes grow large, and his pupils dilate as his lips part. I lick him again, peering up at him under my lashes and his gaze burns into mine. He is completely aroused by the image of me naked, on my knees, sucking him off. I grin smugly with content.

Sheathing my teeth with my lips, I take him in, sucking, licking, stroking, moaning as he fills me to the back of my throat. He growls and grasps onto my hair, tugging with need. He flexes his hips forwards, thrusting his erection to the back of my throat and pulling out again.

"Oh, Ana, you're so good at this," he moans, panting. "What you make me feel." He shudders and holds me closer. "Oh…fuck, baby…yes, suck me…suck me hard…"

I suck him harder, feeling pre-cum flow into me. I moan at the sudden rush and let go of him, panting, needing some air.

"Sorry," he says as I grasp his cock once more. "It never ceases to amaze me how much you're good at this, Ana. You're amazing. You beguile me."

I smile and latch onto him again, savoring his groan. God, he tastes good. And he's all mine to play with. I hum as I suck and lick him and listen to his breathing and growling. All too soon, his erection grows really stiff.

"Ana," he groans, running his hands through my hair. He tries pushing my head away but I decline, sucking him with more ferocity. "Ana, fuck…I'm gonna come…oh, God…Ana!"

He cries out as he pours himself into me, holding me to him as he climaxes.

"Oh, Ana!" he sighs, and bends down to kiss my hair as I let go of him once I've swallowed.

Panting and with his eyes closed, he drops down to the ground with me and holds my hands. I crawl into his lap and he wraps his arms around me, smiling.

"God, I love you," he rasps, opening his eyes to stare into mine. He kisses my lips softly and groans. "You taste like me."

I grin, feeling elated. "I love you, too."

"I should give you more pleasure now," he breathes, inhaling my hair.

I sigh, resting my head on his shoulder. "Honestly, I'm a little too tired to care right now."

He raises his eyebrows, surprised. "Have I tired you out that much?"

"I think so," I say and giggle. He kisses me again and pulls me up with him.

"We can just make love quickly, if you'd like." He begins to wash my body with shower gel and I hum to the feeling. Hmm…make love…

"Perhaps."

He chuckles, massaging the gel into my shoulders.

"Mmm, I like that. Feels nice."

He grins and kisses me softly. "I do, too. I like doing things for you."


	9. Chapter 9 - Sick

**Chapter Nine**

 **Sick**

 **Wednesday, 23rd August, 2017**

 **Christian**

* * *

The rest of the week is quite repetitive, and I am anxious for tomorrow. Ana had finally been persuaded to go with me, and I will be taking extra care to look out for her. I hate being on edge, always alert and extra protective of Ana and my children – many times I can overreact, but if the danger I sense turns out to be real, then acting protective of them was normal and the best thing.

I do not care what Ana thinks. She will never be leaving mine, or security's sight. Sawyer is still her personal bodyguard, even after all these years, but he is a good one, just like Taylor. I don't have the need to fire them. Mostly I'm working towards keeping them wanting to work for me. They are the best I've ever had, and they have become close friends in the years we have known them.

I sigh, drink my afternoon coffee and eat the rest of my chicken and mayonnaise sandwich while reading through some emails and files. It's pretty tedious, nothing too exciting happening to the company except keeping the food campaigns for children running. I've already had a meeting this morning and must have another one at 1:15pm. Damn meetings.

Bored, I decide to email Ana.

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey  
 **Subject:** Good Afternoon  
 **Date:** 23 August 2017 13:07  
 **To:** Anastasia Grey

Dear my sweet Anastasia,

Good afternoon beautiful. I hope you had a wonderful morning, and I apologize once more for not spending it with you and the kids. I wish I could have seen Ted off to kindergarten. Meetings can be a pain.

The sun is shining, though I don't feel happy, and I figured that's because I'm not with you. I miss you. Perhaps give me a call later on, so I can hear your lovely voice?

Love Christian x

CEO, Grey Enterprises, Holdings Inc.

* * *

I notice there's something different about this email once I've sent it and read over it. And then I notice that I've said "love Christian" which I don't normally do. Wow, I do really miss her.

 _Get a hold of yourself, Grey, you see her every day._

I sigh, wondering how long it'll take her to reply. When I check my watch, I see that it's five minutes away until my next meeting.

 _Shit!_

I gobble down the rest of my lunch while standing up and stacking papers into a near pile to take with me, along with my coffee.

"Good afternoon, Ros," I say, smiling at her scowling.

"You're late," she says in greeting, looking down at the papers she has on the meeting room table as I sit down. I set everything down and sort through it all, apologizing to everyone seated at the meeting for being a couple minutes late. My thoughts have been so side-tracked on Anastasia, our children and this bastard, Grant, that I haven't really been myself.

"So, we were just talking about how we could develop the campaign," Ros continues, reading through her papers. "I wondered if we could talk about spreading it out to more suburbs. It will be costly, but worth a shot."

Everyone murmurs and agrees and I nod, too. We are currently working on a new program to help feed homeless people, also providing them with shelters and clothing long enough for them to get a job, if they are adults. The children are sent to foster homes. It is difficult to persuade adults to get jobs when they just spend the money we give them to start out, on drugs, but our system seems to be going really well. We have set programs to help with drug and alcohol addiction and other mental or medical issues they struggle with.

Surprisingly, a lot of homeless people are friendly – the others are complete assholes who don't even want help, but we do everything we can to help them out anyway, and eventually they turn around and thank us for it.

We started this program at the start of this year and it is progressing well so far. I am really happy how it's turning out. But my thoughts aren't totally in this meeting, as they keep straying back to Anastasia.

 _What is she doing? Is she okay? Is she safe?_  
I have made sure two bodyguards are with her, so she should be fine.

I try and listen to the meeting, only catching bits and pieces and storing the most important information to my mind. After halfway through the meeting, there's a knock on the door and Claire, one of my new receptionists, pops her head in, holding a phone. I had turned off my own at the start so it wouldn't disturb the meeting.

"Sir, I have a guy for Anastasia Grey on the line for you," Claire says sweetly, smiling. I get up immediately, worried that something is wrong, and apologize to everyone as I grab the phone and walk out of the room.

"Thanks," I say to Claire and she heads back to her desk. I walk over to the windows, staring out at the city beyond.

"Ana?" I notice I am breathless with worry, so I try and calm my voice down.

"Er…um…no," a young male's voice answers, sounding unsure of what to say. "I'm Justice, Ana's assistant."

 _Ugh, what does he want? Wait, why the hell does he have Ana's phone? What's wrong with her?_

"Why do you have Ana's phone?" I ask, frowning. "Is she okay?"

"Um…not exactly, no," he mumbles, sounding a little distant. "It's why I called you. She said she didn't feel so great and ran to the bathroom. I think she's really sick. She wouldn't let me help her much, but told me to warn you that she may take a while coming home or may come home early."

 _Oh no._ This pregnancy is really getting to her stomach. Teddy's and Phoebe's weren't as bad.

"Where is she now?" I demand, anxious.

"Er…she's still in the bathroom, Mr. Grey." Justice sounds like a lost puppy as he talks; stumbling on words. He is probably scared of me, and I don't blame him. I can be pretty scary if I want to. "Did you want –?"

"Put her on the phone," I cut him off, needing to talk to her.

"Yes, okay, sir," he stutters and I hear movement on the other side of the phone. "Ana!" he calls out and I believe he's at the ladies bathroom. "Mr. Grey is on the phone…um…he wants to speak to you." I hear her say something but it's too muffled for me to comprehend fully. "She says she's too sick to come out," Justice translates but I demand him to give the phone to her. He sighs and yells through the door again, persuading her to come out. There's a silence. "Ana, Mr. Grey seems pretty persistent." At that, I hear a creak of a door opening and she must be out.

 _Finally!_

"Christian?" she pants, her voice wavering.

 _Oh, baby, don't be scared._

"Ana," I breathe, overcome with relief at hearing her voice. "Are you okay, baby?"

"Yeah, I just feel really nauseated that's all." I hear her footsteps against the ground and I know she's walking. "I…I had chicken for lunch and didn't feel great after that. I just can't seem to keep much down."

 _Shit!_

"Oh, Ana. Did you want me to come pick you up? You don't sound so good. It's better if you rest."

She groans. "No, I'm not really. As much as I'd like to keep working, I can't concentrate when I'm vomiting half the time."

 _Oh no_ _…_

"Go to the car, Ana, Sawyer will drive you home. I am in the middle of an important meeting so I will meet you there very shortly, okay?" I definitely don't want to be long, if Ana is this sick. It calms me that I know it's due to the pregnancy, though.

"Oh, okay," she breathes, obeying me for once. She sounds shaky. "Sorry to interrupt your meeting. And thank you. I shall meet you there then…"

"Good," I breathe. "And don't worry; you can interrupt them anytime if it's something important."

"Hey, I got your message," she croaks, "I love it."

I smile. "I'm glad. I can never miss a day of work without texting you."

She giggles. "Same for me. I usually can't concentrate without some communication with you throughout the day. But sorry for not replying…I kind of couldn't."

"It's fine, Anastasia. Go home now, baby. I don't want you feeling so bad that you can't even walk."

She scoffs. "It's just a baby, Christian. I'll be fine."

"I'll feel better once you're home, safe." I hear her sigh. The silence is deafening between us. "I love you." I hear her breath hitch.

"I love you, too."

Still, we both stay on the line.

"You can hang up," she says and I know she's smiling. I chuckle and a big grin stretches across my face despite the situation.

"I know, and so can you."

"Perhaps I don't want to."

"Perhaps I don't want to either."

We fall silent again, and then both crack up laughing. God, I love to hear her laugh. So sweet, playful and care-free.

"Seriously, hang up, Ana," I order, grinning. "I want you home."

"Okay," she sighs. I imagine her rolling her eyes at this point but decide not to comment on it now. She isn't feeling a hundred percent.

"Laters, baby," I say and she giggles before hanging up.

I sigh, anxious to know if it's more than just a stomach upset, return the phone back to reception and walk back into the meeting.

After the meeting, it's 2:27pm and I am restless. I race out of the room, rush back to my office to fetch a few things, and stalk back out to the elevator that takes me right down to the ground floor. As soon as the door is open, I rush out into the cool fresh air and hop into the Audi Taylor has waiting for me. He shuts the door behind me once I get in, greeting me, and I order him to take me home.

Once we reach the driveway, I rush out quickly open the front door. Once inside, I begin searching the rooms for any sign of Ana. Mrs. Jones is cleaning in the kitchen while the kids are at Kate and Elliot's house for an afternoon play-date. I run upstairs and see Ana in bed, under the covers, snug into a tight ball.

 _Oh, Ana_ _…_ When I study her face, it's pale and I touch her forehead to check her temperature. It's very warm. _Oh no_ …she must have come down with a fever. Perhaps she can't go to this New York thing, after all. Damn. At least she can stay here and I can take care of her.

I stroke her cheek and tuck a stray lock of hair being her ear. She wakes, blinking up at me sleepily. I vaguely wonder how long she's been sleeping – it can't have been that long seeing as she probably got home just over an hour ago.

I smile at her and she smiles back lazily.

"Hey," she croaks, closing her eyes again.

"Hey, baby," I breathe and bend down to kiss her head. "You smell good, even when you're sick." She chuckles softly, reaching out for my hand. I take hers and squeeze it. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired…nauseous...headachy…dazed," she whispers, twining her fingers through mine. She sighs. "You know pregnancies."

"You must have a fever or something," I say, then frown. "Sorry for not coming home earlier."

"No, it's not your fault," she cries, waving me off with her hand. "You were in a meeting. I've just been resting anyway, nothing exciting."

"I was desperate to come home, though. The meeting was tedious."

She smiles a little, then grimaces. "I'll have to get someone else to go to this thing tomorrow, depending on how I feel." She pouts at me, looking adorable. "I don't think I'm well enough to go…"

"I'm sorry, baby, I really am," I whisper and kiss her cheek, then rub my nose against hers.

"Ah, it's Phoebe's birthday on Sunday, anyway, so I'm glad I can't." She laughs that sweet laugh of hers which sets my heart racing.

"I love hearing you laugh, Ana."

"I know," she says, and kisses me, I respond back, noting the minty, toothpaste taste from her mouth. She obviously brushed her teeth, and I don't blame her. Vomit doesn't taste very nice.

"Have you taken some Advil?"

"Yes." She nods sleepily.

"Good." I kick off my shoes and take off my belt, chucking them onto the floor, then crawl under the covers beside her. I pull her into me and she snuggles her head against my chest. "Sleep now, my sweet Anastasia."

I kiss her head as we both close our eyes and drift off.

When I wake, it's 6:46pm and Ana isn't there. I sit upright, searching the room in a panic. She's not here at all, or in the bathroom. _Where is she?_

"Ana!" I call down the hallway from our bedroom once I get out of bed. There's no answer. "Ana, where are you?"

I walk downstairs in a frantic daze, and see Mrs. Jones in the kitchen preparing something in a pot on the stove. Phoebe and Ted are sitting at the dinner table, eating their dinner. They greet me enthusiastically and I manage to smile at them. It reminds me that I must ask how Teddy's first day was at preschool.

"Hey, Ted, how was your second day?" I ask, rubbing his head.

He grins and his eyes light up. "It was really cool. Very different. I like my teacher and I met a couple of new kids at lunch. They're fun! And we did all these fun activities to get to know each other more and a few crafty things. We did that yesterday, too!"

I smile and kiss his head. He's practically bouncing in his seat. "Okay, calm down kiddo. I'm glad you had good day. Now eat your dinner."

He pouts but complies.

Mrs. Jones smiles at me when she turns around and I am about to ask where Ana is but she points to the living room where Ana's on the couch, petting Mr. Truffles. I sigh in relief, walk over, and sit down beside her.

"Hey, I was worried about you when I didn't see you in bed," I say in greeting and she looks apologetic at me. I shake my head. "You're here now. How are you feeling?" I stroke her cheek and she smiles.

"Okay. Still yuck," she says and sighs. "I'm sorry."

I frown. "What for?"

"For making you worry so much."

"Hey, it's not your fault. Things happen and we all get sick from time to time." I shrug and smile at her. She smiles back and laughs when Mr. Truffles licks her. I pat him under his chin with my free hand and he tips is head back, purring. With my other one I take Ana's hand and kiss it. I study her and see she is still pale under the living room light.

"Have you eaten?" I wonder and she shakes her head. "You should eat something."

"Exactly why Mrs. Jones is making me soup," she says proudly, proving that she is behaving and I have to laugh at her reaction.

"I'm surprised you're hungry, especially when you're sick."

"Yeah, I'm quite surprised too." Then she frowns. "And confused how I can be so sick suddenly. I was perfectly fine yesterday."

I sigh and kiss her hand again. "I know. You'll recover soon, don't you worry. I will help you recover, and take care of you until you do."

She gives me a look. "You already take extra care of me, sick or not."

I chuckle. "Good point well made, as ever, Mrs. Grey."

Suddenly a shiver passes through her and she wraps her arms around her, trying to keep warm.

"Are you cold?"

"A bit."

I grab the blanket off the couch and drape it around her. She tucks her arms inside it and smiles at me. I kiss her head.

"Thanks."

"You're most welcome." I look over to Mrs. Jones who is heading over to us with a bowl of soup and a plate of rolls. She smiles at Ana as Ana thanks her and takes the soup. Mrs. Jones heads back to the kitchen to clean up and I study Ana. Much to my surprise, she is digging into her food, obviously very hungry.

"Amazing. Very hungry, hey?" I tuck a loose strand behind her hair and she smiles, nodding. "I'm glad. Hopefully this makes you feel better."

As the kids have finish up their meals, I feed the cats and dogs, petting Bunny and Onyx with Ana for a bit as they ask for attention. When Phoebe and Ted have finished eating, they are hyperactive but I calm them down and once Ana has said goodnight to them from the couch, I go upstairs and put them to bed. Fortunately, they stay there and sleep. I head back downstairs and resume my position next to Ana, taking her hand which is cold.

She lies back against the couch, humming to the taste of the food and she licks her lips once swallowing, setting desirable feelings to rush down to my groin. God, she looks sexy even when she's unwell. Then I notice her staring at me with a confused expression, and I realize I've been pinning her with a dark, lusty look. I blink to shake it off and settle down beside her, pulling her into my side and tucking the blanket around her lap more securely.

"Did you want to watch a movie or show?"

She nods, eyes lit up. I smile and kiss her cheek.

"What do you feel like watching?"

"Umm…Game of Thrones?"

Interesting choice. I grin and nod, then walk over to the cupboard full off movies and TV shows. I run my eyes up and down the selection until I spot the first season of Game of Thrones, and pop the disc out of the case and into the DVD player. Once the TV is turned on and set to the DVD recorder, I sit back down on the couch and wrap my arm around Ana and the show series begins.

Shortly after, Mrs Jones clears Ana's bowl and plate and washes the dishes in the kitchen. She then disappears upstairs, turns the lights off and only leaves one behind her so darkness surrounds the TV screen.

Ana seems happy and fine during the shows and we laugh at the right moments and I am happy to be cuddling with her. But my anxiety returns when, halfway through one show, Ana leaps up from the couch out of my arms and rushes to the kitchen sink where she heaves up her dinner.

I rush up behind her and hold her hair out of the way as she pukes again and again. I frown. How can she be so sick suddenly? She usually only gest the occasional morning sickness. She moans, touching her forehead and then chucks up again.

"Perhaps we should see a doctor," I suggest, my voice laced with concern.

"No," she manages to moan and continues being sick. "Go away."

"No, Ana." She groans, but I don't know if it was out of annoyance or because she's sick. Perhaps both. "Shh, hush now," I soothe, rubbing her back. "You're doing well, Ana. It'll be over soon." She throws up once more and groans, trying to shove me off. I hold her more close to me, soothing her arms.

"Please. Go away…" she pants, spitting into the sink. "You don't…need…to see this."

"I'm not going anywhere, Ana." I kiss the back of her head as she leans over the bench, her head in her hands. She takes deep, slow breaths in and out, trying to calm her churning stomach. "God, you're sick. Makes me wonder if it was the food you ate or something else."

"I'm pretty sure it was the chicken." She takes another deep breath and then rinses her mouth out with tap water. She wipes her face with paper towel and looks up at me. "At least I think it was." I brush her cheek, my eyebrows creasing. She shakes her head. "Don't worry, Christian, I'll be fine in a few days. It's not like I haven't been sick before."

We head back to the couch and resume watching the episode, though we don't really pay attention, too tight with worry. I sigh and pull her onto my lap, wrapping the blanket around her once more.

"Yes, but I've never seen you this sick." She looks up at me apologetically and I kiss her nose. "It bothers me."

"Please don't worry." She takes my hand in hers and brings it to her lips, kissing it softly. I smile and she smiles back. "I'll be fine."

"If you're sure," I say, though I sound the opposite, strained with concern.

We hug each other for the rest of the two episodes and thankfully Ana doesn't throw up again. Through the second show, she falls asleep in my arms, looking peaceful. I watch to the end of the show, careful not to disturb her.

When it finishes, I turn the TV off and cradle her into my arms up to our bedroom where I place her carefully onto the bed. I take my shirt and pants off I wore at work earlier today, chuck off my boxer briefs and put on a pair of PJ bottoms. I pull down the covers and tuck Ana inside, crawling in behind her and wrapping the covers around us. I switch off our bedside light and pull Ana close, wrapping my arms around her, back to front; spoon style.

Ana stirs, moaning softly. "Christian…" she murmurs sleepily and I smile.

 _I'm right here, baby._

"Sleep now, my sweet Anastasia."

She stops moving, seeming satisfied and goes back to sleep. I kiss her hair, nuzzling my face into her neck and drift off with her.


	10. Chapter 10 - Songs and Seduction

**A/N:** **How is everyone liking this story? Reviews, reviews! Sorry to beg, but don't we all for our stories? ;) I really do love your opinions, though, it helps with writing.**

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

 **Songs & Seduction **

**Friday, 25th August, 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

This morning I had been sick off and on but once it hit midday, I was feeling perfectly fine. I kept trying to tell Christian that and how I was capable of going to work yet he could not be persuaded. No matter what I said, he argued against it. So here I am, bored as hell, sitting in the living room, reading.

It's 4:42pm and Christian should be home from work shortly. Taylor went to pick up Ted already when he finished at 3pm and he came home very excited, like the other few days. I'm glad he's enjoying preschool and hope nothing upsets him. He can get quite angry when he's upset, just like his father, and throw tantrums. Once the problem is sorted out, he is back to his usual, hyperactive self. His excitement about little things makes me smile.

"Mom, mom, mom!" Ted yells on cue, and comes running into the lounge room holding an interesting Lego creation he just designed. He jumps up on the couch next to me as I place my book down and look at him. "Look what I made." He passes it to me and I study it, grinning.

It looks like some type of colorful castle which is on a green Lego plate. Because he is growing up and he is more mature now, he is allowed to have normal Lego instead of Duplo, as he knows not to swallow pieces or give them to Phoebe. Phoebe complains about not being able to play with Ted's Lego but she can only have Duplo at her age. Soon she will transition to Lego Juniors.

"Wow, Ted!" I exclaim, grinning. I'm amazed that he can build so well at his age, the reason why we give him normal Lego sets and not Junior, as he is pretty handy when it comes to building. "This looks amazing! What is it?"

"A castle," he says proudly. "Like Hogwarts."

As he says that I can spot _Harry Potter_ minifigures inside and around the castle. I grin; Ted makes the most imaginative creations. I love them all.

"This is amazing, buddy. You'll have to put this up in your room."

He grins and shakes his head.

"Why not?" I wonder, cocking my head.

"It's for you!"

"Aww, Ted, thank you so much." I hug him tightly and he hugs me back, giggling. "But you know you'll play with it much more than I will. It'll look perfect in your room."

"I know, I know." He waves his hand to brush it off. "But I want you to have it."

"Darling, I love this, but really, you should have this one. I just don't have enough room for it." I smile and ruffle his hair. "Besides, I've got the amazing car you made for me and dad has the Lego glider you made for him. They're proudly sitting on our desks at work. Really, Teddy, I love this, but you'll enjoy it much more. I'd like to see you play with it."

"Aw, okay, mommy," he agrees and hugs me.

"There's my little monkey." I ruffle his hair.

I hand the Lego castle back to him and he takes it gladly and begins playing with it. I end up playing with him and enjoy his ferocious actions as he plays out the evil headmaster of Hogwarts and Harry Potter while I play out Ron and Hermione and one of his dragons. He giggles his cute laugh of his when I perfectly mimic the characters voices and I laugh with him.

Sometimes he scolds me when I don't play a character the right way and I grimace but am amused as he tells me the correct way. Eventually he disappears back upstairs to his room and I return to my book.

After another two chapters, I am getting bored, so I place the book down on the table and walk over to look out at the window facing Puget Sound. The sky is an amazing color of blues, pinks and purples, created by the beautiful sunset. The sunlight creates sparkles against the gentle flow of the water and I watch, fascinated.

My thoughts drift off to Christian and when we went up in the glider last month as I look up at the mesmerizing sky. When I look at the water I am reminded of all the times we share in The Grace. I'd like to go up in Charlie Tango again or go on a boat ride with him, maybe even Jet Ski.

I sigh, wondering when he'll be back and seeing as no one is watching, I spin around the large area beside the lounge room and switch on the big radio that sits on a table nearby. I turn it onto the song "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran.

Soon enough I end up dancing. I don't dance much, unless it's with Christian when he drags me into it. To my surprise, I find myself better than ever before, pulling off moves like I never have, matching the beat. I leap around the big space in front of the windows and move my body rather sexily like Kate sometimes does.

The red dress I am wearing flows out as I leap and spin around the room, in time with the music.

Soon the song comes to a close and starts up "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay and I grin, continuing dancing around, shutting out the room around me. I'm even brave enough to start singing. It's just me and the music. The music has control over me right now, controlling my moves and my voice. I don't find myself self-conscious and I ignore the sense that I feel someone is watching me. I don't really care at the moment. It's probably just Mrs. Jones or Ted or Phoebe, not that I hear any giggling. I know the kids would be giggling and dancing with me if they found me like this. Perhaps it's Mrs. Jones or Taylor then. I really can't care less.

I laugh now and then, at ease with the way I move and sing. I've never really been like this before. I'm always self-conscious, so I don't know what's changed all of the sudden. Perhaps I should be bored more often, I don't know. I'm just so happy. Finally the song ends and I gracefully finish my current spin and land kneeling on the ground, sitting on the backs of my feet. Wow. My breathing is erratic and my heart is pounding at the rush. But I do not care one bit.

A giant grin spreads across my face as the song "Witchcraft" by Frank Sinatra begins. I shake my head and laugh but gracefully stand up and start to sway. My hips move from side to side in a smooth elegance and it immediately turns sensual and carnal, my behind slowly moving in time to the beat as my arms reach up and twirl over my head. I bite my lips to keep the rising giggles in as I turn around and around.

And stop midway when I catch who had been staring at me all this time.

This time I can't keep the giggle in and I explode with laughter at Christian's expression.

He is wide-eyed, mouth slack, grey eyes burning with surprise and lust. He must have been holding his suitcase and dropped it because it's lying on the floor next to him ungracefully, and his hand is partly outstretched as though he had been about to do something but had stopped when he saw me. He is wearing a button-up white t-shirt, a grey suit jacket and matching pants that hangs from his hips in _that_ way. His shirt is undone at the top, exposing the hair that clings to his chest in that sexy way of his.

God, does he look hot. _My Fifty_.

Enjoying his reaction, I try my best to ignore it and resume dancing.

"…when you arouse the need in me," I continue to sing as Frank's voice rings it out. Christian's eyes grow larger and a dark look forms in them. The heat and intensity of his gaze goes straight down _there_ , but I continue to sing and gently sway to the music, watching him the entire time. "My heart says "Yes, indeed" in me. Proceed with what you're leadin' me to…"

"Good evening, Mr. Grey," I say after I finish the sentence, amused, biting my lip to contain my rising laughter. "How was your–"

But he cuts me off midsentence when he stalks across the room, his eyes blazing grey fire and grabs my head between his hands, pulling me into a deep, hungry kiss that I immediately respond to. His hold is so strong that he walks me backwards into the window, the cold of the window pressing into my back. It doesn't bother me. Not one bit.

The music remains playing and sparks up the sudden lust between us even more. I moan and wrap my arms around his neck as our tongues connect. My hands make their way into his soft, copper hair and I tug. He groans and bites on my lower lip softly, making me moan, sending hot feelings down to my groin. He always has a secret pathway to my most private parts.

Christian lets go for a moment so we can breathe but continues to kiss me down my jaw, my neck, over to my ear where he nibbles on my earlobe and kisses his way down to my collarbone.

"You're happy to see me," I whisper, breathless.

He growls, nipping my skin softly, making goose-bumps of desire rise on my skin. I shudder as the warm touch of his lips sends electricity through me.

"You have no idea," he replies and pulls back to gaze at me. "You. Are. So. Beautiful," he says between kisses and I moan. "So sexy. That dancing," he looks back into my eyes, "I want to see that again. That was amazing, Ana. I have never seen you dance so well…or sing. That was just…wow…"

I smile shyly up at him and flush. I'm not used to hearing things like this from him, or people watching me. He really is amazed and spellbound at my previous performance.

"Don't be coy, Ana. You're amazing. I am one lucky man." Suddenly he glares at me, his eyes full of lust. "And don't bite your lip. I want to do that." At that he unhooks my lower lip from my teeth with his thumb and takes it with his teeth, nibbling softly.

"Christian," I breathe, trying to steady my erratic heartbeat and breathing. I gently try to push him away but he only wraps his arms around my waist and back and pulls me into him more tightly. I feel his erection press against my thigh and I struggle to remain neutral. "Christian, the kids could see us. Don't do this now."

He growls and bites my neck, making me yelp.

"I'm serious, Christian."

"I know." But he keeps nipping and kissing my neck as he begins to squeeze my behind.

"Christian," I scold, trying to give him a stern look. He lifts his head up and smiles at me coquettishly.

"Relax, baby. The kids are too busy playing in their playroom, I checked. We'll be quick." He bends back down and resumes kissing and biting my neck softly, making me tingle. I moan his name in protest but he ignores me.

Slowly, his hands stroke down my thighs and up them under my dress, and I gasp. But he doesn't stop there – he hooks his fingers in my panties and casually rips them apart, shoving the remains of material into his pants pocket. His slides his jacket off and chucks it onto the floor. Then he swiftly undoes one of his special grey ties and throws it onto his jacket. His hair is already tousled, adding to his gorgeous features. He looks breathtaking.

His hands continue to stroke the inside of my legs and reaches around to rub my behind. I gasp when his fingers slide through the crack right down to my sex. I am rewarded with his sharp intake of breath of surprise. Slowly, his index and middle fingers creep inside me and I moan, resting my head onto his shoulder. The hot achy feeling in my groin grows more potent and I desperately need his fingers to give me some relief. Suddenly I am no longer bothered by who watches us.

"Fuck, you're so wet already, Ana," he growls through gritted teeth as he moves his fingers around and around, in and out, stretching the tight space. "Wet for me. Only me. This," he thrusts his fingers into me fast once to demonstrate and I yelp, "is mine. All mine."

"Yes, yours," I breathe, and it comes out as a moan. "Oh, please…"

"All mine, Ana. You're mine." He continues to stroke my insides and my hips automatically move with his fingers. He brushes his thumb along my clitoris with no intention of stopping. Blood is boiling in my veins.

"Please, Christian, please."

"Hmm, say my name again," he demands in my ear, his voice low.

"Christian, Christian, Christian Grey." He groans, closes his eyes briefly to savor the words and nibbles on my ear. "Please," I beg.

When he opens his eyes, they are blazing into mine. He thrusts his fingers into me harder and I groan, feeling my interior muscles clench in response and shake.

"That's right, baby," he whispers, his mouth right next to my ear. His thumb flicks my clitoris again and again as his fingers do their work inside me and I feel myself quicken. I moan in desperation, wanting some release.

"Come, Ana."

"No."

"Yes. Come on, Ana," he growls, pushing his fingers and hips into me, his erection digging into my hip. I moan. He was so hard. The powerful words and sensations are my undoing, and I come conspiratorially and loudly around his fingers.

"Yessss," he hisses in triumph and excitement at my pleasure.

Christian takes my mouth with his and kisses me hard and I come again and again as his fingers continue to work their magic inside me and along the tight knot of sensations. He just doesn't stop.

"Again, Ana!" he commands against my mouth.

I moan. It's building again, and I am reaching higher and higher. No…I can't be…oh…oh!

Amazingly I climax again although I am exhausted from the other three combustions. I feel like I am spent as I calm down against him but he keeps working his fingers inside me, not taking them out. I moan again, now wanting him to stop – it was too much. It felt torturous.

"Again, Ana, again," he growls and speeds up his movements.

"No," I whimper. I grasp his t-shirt and yank down, begging him to stop. I love it but I don't think my body can take much more. "Stop, you tease. Please…no more…no more."

"Yes, Ana, please." His fingers move in circles inside me, trying to persuade me to let go.

"S-someone could see us," I gasp, looking up at him in panic.

He shakes his head.

"Hush, no one will. Not if you make this quick." He looks at me with hooded eyes that blaze molten grey and I melt at the sight. "One more time, baby, come on."

"No."

"Yes."

"No…" I try not to smile.

"Yes," he urges.

Oh, my, God, the tease.

"No, I feel like you've given me twenty orgasms already!" I whisper frantically. "I'm too sensitized; I don't think my body can take it."

He smacks my behind playfully with his free hand hard and I yelp but I do not give in. He smacks me two more times gently but it still doesn't persuade me to come.

"Ana," he pleads with a whine. "You'll feel better if you do. Give this to me."

"It's too much," I moan and clutch onto him tightly. I couldn't deny that I needed another orgasm though.

"Please, Ana?" he growls and bites my earlobe as he thrusts his fingers forward. I moan. His thumb speeds up its stroking on my clitoris. I felt myself building again, rising and falling, the sensations gaining control over me. No, I can't surely be able to come again. There's no way…

"I can't," I groan. I am too wound up and spent.

Instantly, he stops his movements and sighs, and then pulls his fingers out of me.

"We'll have to see about that," he says softly into my ear.

Unexpectedly, Christian grabs me by my legs and lifts me over his shoulder. I shout profanities at him whilst hitting his back but he ignores me, laughing as he takes me upstairs to our bedroom.

He throws me onto our bed and shuts the door, locking it, then comes and joins me, crawling across the bed to hover over me. His eyes a blazing grey, he bends down and trails kisses all over my face – my eyes, my nose, my cheeks, my lips, across my jaw and down my neck, across my collarbones to my breasts where he lingers. He takes one nipple into his mouth and sucks vigorously, making me moan and writhe underneath him. Colostrum instantly trickles out of them, down my large lumps, and he licks the liquid up, groaning as he does so.

"You taste so delectable, Mrs. Grey," he breathes against my sensitive skin as he looks me in the eye. I arch up into his face with a guttural moan. Christian smiles at that, and bends back down to nibble my hardened and dripping pebbles.

"You never told me," I pant, clutching onto the sheets, "how your day was."

He kisses a trail down my torso to my stomach where he licks inside and around my navel. It sends charges of warm electricity right down _there_.

"No, you distracted me," he breathes against my skin, tickling it. "I had a very boring and rather irritating day," he continues after a moment. "But then I come home to see _that_." He lifts his head up and peers at me under his thick lashes, his eyes dark and full of lusty fire. "God, you're alluring, Ana. You made me grow hard as soon as I saw you."

"Talking about that," I whisper, trying to calm my breathing but he continues to kiss and lick me. "How long were you watching me?"

"Through a song and a half." He blinks suddenly and grins, his boyish all-megawatt-toothy smile that sends my heart racing every time. "We didn't turn off the stereo."

He's right; the sounds of The Calling's "Wherever you will go" ring out. I giggle but stop immediately and moan when he trails kisses through my pubic hair and begins stroking his tongue along my sex.

"Fuck," I pant when he licks my clitoris, again and again and I come instantly, calling out his name. "Ah! Not again…"

With a smile, and before I have a chance to respond, he bends down and lifts up my dress, holding my behind. His mouth is on me in a millisecond, kissing, sucking, licking through my vulva and circling my clitoris. I gasp then groan loudly and clutch his hair. Automatically, my hips start to move.

"Keep still," he orders and continues.

I could not stop panting or moaning. He growls when I tug his hair with my fists. Desire pools inside me, down _there_. I could not help it. I need to come again…it felt much too good.

"Christian!"

"Come, my love," he breathes, peering up into my eyes with clear lust and love. He continues licking and sucking my hard pebble of sensations, causing me to pant and groan more. I am as wet as anything, but he doesn't seem to care – just laps up the liquids dripping down legs and resumes his torturous attempts to pleasure me.

And I come once, twice, three times more, gloriously, feeling myself shatter over him. He peers up at me and grins, showing his bright, white teeth. He is absolutely happy to have control.

"No more," I pant, trying to sound firm, and he grins wider. My lips twitch at his amusement.

I could see he pleasured himself too by doing it. His cock is massive, a huge bulge stretched taught in his trousers, protesting in the tight space. _Oh my…_ _I_ can do this to _him_. My Greek God.

"Yes," he says, voice raspy when he catches me watching. "You see how hard you make me, Ana?" His eyes blaze and they are scorching fire. I gasp when he grasps his cock through his pants and begins to pleasure himself. "You make me like this _every day_. I have to hide in my office at times to calm down my hardened cock because you've sent stimulating messages to me. You awe me, Ana." He kisses my wet lips down there again and I almost convulse.

Then he stops.

 _What?_

He sits back and unzips his pants to free his stiff, throbbing erection. The veins that ran along his length protruded and my insides clenched at the sight. He was already partly wet. He gazes up at me and slides his hands up and down his elongating length.

Instantly, I bend down and reach to touch him but he pulls back and smiles.

"No, no," he scolds and continues to stroke himself. "I want you to see me like this. I want you to know that I am like this at work. That I'm like this wherever I go."

 _Oh my…_

"Please, Christian?" I beg but he shakes his head, amused.

"Watch me." His eyes blaze into mine and he continues his movements, torturing me.

All I can do is sit there, watching him, wanting and aroused. I press my legs together and bite my lip, itching to touch him. But when I try he just keeps pulling away. His lips twitch, amused, as he watches me. His mouth is parted, his tongue between his teeth. Christian is absolutely aroused at this little game of his.

"You'd rather you do this?" he asks in a husky voice, cocking his head. It's so sexy.

I nod and plead him with my eyes. He smiles and holds out his cock for me. I reach out to touch him and this time he lets me. He groans when I stroke him and tips his head back. His lips part wider and his eyes blaze brighter.

"Take me, Ana," he pleads, desperate with desire. "Suck me."

I gasp at his sudden command and desperation, but otherwise bend my head down and take him in my mouth. He shifts his body so I have better access and groans.

"Oh…baby…that feels good," he pants, stroking my head. "Jeez, baby. Suck me…just like that…yes…oh, yes!" His pleasure persuades me to suck harder and lick him with more passion. I feel him growing stiffer and ready to let go. "Ana…keep doing that…yes, baby, I'm about to come…" I peer up at him under my lashes and catch him looking down at me with so much pleasure and love that it sends me taking him deeper into my mouth. I want to be sexy for my man and cause him to come. He groans and his fingers tighten in my hair.

"Fuck, Ana!" he cries through gritted teeth, closing his eyes tight. "Yes!" And I feel him pour himself into my mouth. I swallow and then let go of him, lifting my head to peer at him. He opens his eyes and smiles at me. He sits up and pulls me into a heated kiss. He moans.

"You taste like me," he murmurs and nuzzles his nose against mine. "God, I love you."

"I love you, too."

He kisses me again and I melt.

Christian takes off his shirt quickly, chucking it on the floor. He doesn't bother taking his pants all the way off, only unzips them once more to free his erection. Quickly, he pulls a condom packet open with his teeth and slips it over his length. He leans back over me and before I have time to catch my breath, he's inside me, slowly moving in and out and around.

"Christian," I moan and wind my hands through his hair. He growls when I tug and leans down to touch his lips with mine. Our kiss grows heated as he moves above me, our tongues meeting and linking. He suddenly speeds up his slow torturous movements and all too soon he's really moving inside me, groaning as he fucks me in quick succession.

"Do you have any idea how much you mean to me?" Christian asks against my lips, locking me with his hot grey gaze.

"No…" My voice is barely a whisper.

His eyes grow larger and he bites my lower lip. I gasp at the surprise.

"You mean the world, Anastasia," he growls, tracing the contours of my lips with his tongue. "You're everything to me. Never leave me, Ana. Please don't put yourself in danger. I couldn't bear it if you left."

I suck in a sharp breath at his words. He looks so frightened, so vulnerable. I don't want him to feel this way.

"Christian, I won't ever leave you. You should know that by now. Please don't doubt me." I reach up and stroke his face, his stubble rubbing against my skin. "Please don't be scared."

He looks into my eyes for a few moments, never stopping his movements, and it looks like he's trying to search for some reassurance, but finally he seems to find some and relaxes against my palm. His eyes soften and he touches his forehead to mine and breathes in and out deeply.

I inhale his glorious scent – he smells of body wash, fresh linin, sweat, and Christian. He smells amazing.

"Come for me, Ana," he breathes and after three more thrusts into me, I come spectacularly and loudly around him once more, holding him close to me. After two more thrusts, he stills and orgasms, pouring himself gloriously into me.

"Oh, fuck, Ana!" he exclaims and collapses on top of me, his face resting into my neck. I am absolutely exhausted after that long round of orgasming. I stroke his hair as we calm down our breathing and we just lie there, for who knows how long, enjoying each other's warmth, the sounds of our breathing and the music downstairs.


	11. Chapter 11 - Day at the Zoo

**A/N:** **Roar! They're at the zoo. (Yes I know I'm weird. Random. Crazy.)**

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

 **Day at the Zoo**

 **Saturday, 26th August, 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

"Mommy, Daddy, look, look!" Teddy exclaims, running ahead of us towards the lions in the African Savannah. We are at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle to celebrate Phoebe's birthday as a family which is tomorrow.

We've already visited a few places like the Temperate Forest and Tropical Rainforest where we saw multiple birds, penguins, seals and hippos. We're passing through the African Savannah now where we've come across several giraffes, lions, elephants, zebras and a few other animals. We are heading towards the second section of Tropical Asia – we had already passed the first – and then will see the Australasian animal section. To end our trip, we will finish up with the Northern Trail where the bears, wolves, deer, owls and a few others live.

We have already eaten lunch about an hour ago as it's afternoon. When I check my phone it's indeed 1:12pm. All of us have had so much fun wandering around and looking at the amazing animals. Phoebe has only ever been twice, when she was younger, so we have taken her out today so she can remember.

Phoebe still wants to have a fairy themed party so we plan to throw one for her tomorrow. Kate, Elliot, Eva and Jacob will be coming, along with Christian's parents and Mia. They are also rather excited as they love to meet us from time to time. They love to see that Christian is happy.

Phoebe is really excited about today and tomorrow and I am just as excited for her. I love to hear her giggle and scream in excitement at surprises and I want to spoil her. She's growing up so quickly, so is Ted, and that fact scares me sometimes. It gets me rather emotional, because I know they'll grow tired of me as they become teenagers, and will want to be on their own most of the time. Then I'll have to let them go for college and for when they move out… _Ana, focus,_ my subconscious interrupts my wayward thoughts. _They're not going to leave until around 20 years._

"Oh, wow, big lions!" I say as I walk up behind Ted who is pressing his face against the glass.

A male lion is currently lying on a giant rock, looking at us as though he's the king. Two females are roaming about and I see another one lying with another male, washing her cubs.

"Aww, so cute. Look at the cubs, guys." I point and they both crane their heads to get a better look.

When they see them they both squeal giddily and jump up and down in excitement, smiling brightly.

"I want one, mom!" Ted looks at me with a pleading face. "Can we get one?"

"Oh, darling, you can't have a lion," I laugh and caress his face. "They're not for keeping as pets. Animals like lions need to be in a better and healthier habitat."

"But we've got a big backyard!" he points out, trying to convince me. "They would love the meadow."

I sigh. It's hard persuading him otherwise. "Darling, lions and tigers and bears, or any other animal that lives in the zoo or wild, are not for sale." He pouts and looks grumpy. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. We wouldn't be allowed to have one."

"Oh."

"Besides, they'd be hard to take care of, being so big, let alone one."

He shrugs and then finally lets the conversation drop, and heads back to the window, his anger forgotten.

"Boy, is he hard to deal with," a voice behind me says, sounding low and strangely seductive. I smile, knowing exactly who it is as he wraps his arms around my waist. I turn slightly to see his face.

Christian is smiling his boyish grin that gets me melting and hot and bothered in places. He's face is glowing with the verge of laughter. He kisses my hair softly and sways me side to side as we watch Ted and Phoebe look through the glass.

"You smell good, Mrs. Grey," he murmurs in my ear, his voice low and laced with sensual promise.

"I put perfume on," I say, smiling up at him. "Maybe that's why."

"Mmm," he hums and closes his eyes as he presses his face into my hair. "I love all of your smells. Trust me, you smell better than perfume or anything else. You should know that by now."

"So…you like the smell of my sweat?" I ask warily, confused.

He smiles. "Yes actually, I do. It's not that bad. Because it's part of you."

I smile shyly back at him. "What about my pee, then?"

He cringes and narrows his eyes at me. "Of course not. No one should like the smell of pee…that's just…" He struggles for words.

"Gross."

He laughs, stroking my arm. "Yes. Gross indeed."

"Sweat is too," I point out.

He rolls his eyes. "Not as bad."

"If you say so, then," I chuckle and he kisses me on the lips.

Phoebe begins to run off to another window but Christian catches her in time, picking her up. He tuts and looks at her with a scolding look. She ducks her head, knowing she's in trouble.

"Don't run off, Bee," Christian says calmly, though I know he's not at all calm. He hates them running off to who knows where and having to worry about them till we find them. I worry a lot, too. Teddy is old enough to learn to stay by our side, but Phoebe is still learning. So even though she can walk quite well, she needs a stroller for outings like this so we don't lose her. She also gets very tired legs after a while, and needs to sit down.

"Are you going to stay by our side?" Christian asks her once he puts her down.

She pouts and crosses her arms over her chest. "No!" she shouts grumpily and goes to run off again but Christian catches her once more.

"Don't use that tone with me, young lady," Christian tells her sternly. "And do not disobey me."

Phoebe struggles and whines when Christian puts her back in the stroller and buckles her up.

"No, I want out!" she cries, starting to sob. Christian just shakes his head.

"I told you what would happen if you ran away." He softens his tone and expression. He reaches out and caresses her face, but she pouts and knocks his hand away.

"I don't like you, daddy," she grumbles.

Christian smiles slightly in amusement but I can see the slight hurt underneath. It makes me worried. I want the kids to love Christian unconditionally as he still has a hard time accepting that his family loves him.

"You may not like me right now," he continues, stroking her hair. "But your mom and I just want you safe, okay?"

She pouts and looks away from her Dad, crossing her arms over her chest. She is in a bad mood. I hope she gets some rest later today – with all this walking around, and in the heat, it's rather tiring. Especially for Phoebe, as she isn't used to walking for this long.

"How about we get you an ice-cream, Bumblebee?" I suggest and Phoebe's face instantly lights up. Teddy's face is bright as well and he starts jumping up and down.

"Yay! Me too, me too, me too!"

"Okay, okay. We'll look at a few more animals and then get some," I tell them and then look at Phoebe. "But only if you apologize to daddy."

Phoebe pouts again, not talking, so I raise an eyebrow at her. She sighs and looks at Christian.

"Sowwy, Daddy," she says in a small voice and Christian smiles.

"It's all right, sweetheart." He gives her a kiss on her forehead while Phoebe kisses him on the cheek.

"Okay, let's go look around and then get that ice-cream, yeah?" Christian says. Even he's excited. I love his boyish nature.

"Yash!" Ted nods and Phoebe claps.

I laugh at their enthusiasm and suddenly Christian snaps the video camera around his neck at me, capturing my bright smile. He captures one of the kids, too, and then starts up another video.

We pass the lions and giraffes and Ted starts pleading at Christian.

"Please, Daddy?" He is jumping up and down in front of him, wanting to get up. "I can't see. There are so many people."

Christian sighs but otherwise grins and says, "Sure, buddy." Ted grins and claps as Christian hoists Ted up over his head and places him on his shoulders. Ted holds on to Christian's head for balance while Christian holds onto Ted's legs to keep him I place. I grin up at them and decide to take a picture of them together.

"Look at me, mommy, I'm tall like a giraffe!" Ted says proudly.

I laugh. "You are! Oh, Ted, Phoebe, look at that baby one over there, can you see?" I point in the direction of a baby giraffe standing by another giraffe that can only be its mother. Phoebe asks me to pick her up on my shoulders so she can see as well, so I do.

"Ohh, cute!" she croons.

Soon, we reach the gorillas and other monkeys.

Ted is laughing his head off, being chased by a baby gorilla on the other side of the screen. Each time Ted runs to the right, the gorilla will follow him, and when he runs to the left, the gorilla continues to chase him. It is perfect that Christian is capturing this moment in video. We love to look at videos of them of moments like this in their lives. They can be so funny, even when they are grumpy.

Ted squeals. "Mom! It won't stop chasing me," he says through fits of giggles. Phoebe is giggling, too, enjoying the show.

"He sure won't," I laugh.

"I think he's made a new friend," Christian says, grinning.

"How do you know it's a boy, daddy?" Ted wonders matter-of-factly. "It could be a girl!"

"Yes, how do you know?" I ask sweetly. I know well and clear of its gender but I want to tease Christian.

He chuckles but looks awkward. "Well, by the look of what's between its legs, I'd say that's a male…"

"I see," I say, laughing.

"What?" Ted is confused. "What do you see?"

"Don't worry about it, Ted," I say, trying to brush it off.

"But I want to know!"

I sigh, rolling my eyes as Christian grins and gives me a your-turn-to-explain look. "Okay, you see the thing between its legs?"

"Err…that long thingy?" I nod, grimacing. "Yes, I do."

"That's what men have. That's what you and Daddy have."

"Oh…" He looks at me, frowning. "You mean, girls don't have that?"

"No, there's looks different," I say, trying not to laugh. Christian is finding this hilarious and is also trying not to laugh. "I've told you before."

"Oh…that's strange." His forehead creases in thought. "So, does that mean you don't have that thing?" He cocks his head to the side in curiosity.

I shake my head, amused and ignore Christian's chuckling. "No, darling, I don't. Nor does Phoebe." I bend down to his level so others don't listen in on what we're saying and also so he doesn't have to crane his head up to talk to me. "The proper name for what females have, is called a vagina. What you and other males have is called a penis."

Ted blinks and looks amused at the funny words. I shake my head to brush it off and stand up.

"But you don't say those words out loud, okay? They are bad words. It's not something little kids should know a lot about. You'll know more when you're much older."

"Hmm." He looks bamboozled, making me laugh.

"Ted, please don't tell any of your friends at kinder or school about it, okay?"

He studies me for a moment, contemplating. "Okay then."

"Good boy."

He looks curious still but lets it drop and looks over at the gorilla again. He giggles. "The gorilla's now staring at me."

I laugh and Christian laughs along with me, no longer able to keep it in.

"I want the chocolate chip one!" Ted says, looking at the ice-cream menu. I look at him and raise my eyebrows. "Please," he adds quickly, grinning.

"That's better. Phoebe, which one do you want?"

"Um…rainbow! Pwease."

"Coming right up. I'll just have the vanilla with the flake and chocolate sauce."

He grins and winks. "Plain old vanilla?"

I giggle. "You betcha."

He chuckles and orders four ice-creams and gives them to us. He ordered the same one as mine. We go and sit on a park bench and lick our ice-creams, watching the chaos of people around us.

"It's so noisy," I say and sigh.

Christian glances at me in concern. "Want to go home?"

"No, it's okay. We can stay a little longer for the kids."

"Yay!" Ted and Phoebe both cheer. I smile.

"Are you sure? You look like you have a headache."

I frown because I do have one. _How does he know?_

"You've been rubbing your head all day, Ana," Christian answers my unasked question in disapproval. I don't know how he does that.

"Well, I've just been trying to ignore it." I shrug, not bothered.

His mouth presses into a thin line. "We'll go home soon. We've seen all the animals now, I'm sure. By the looks on the map we've covered each area."

"Oh, I thought we had one more place to go."

"Nope…we can go home now. The kids have spent time on the playground already so there's not much else to see."

"Gift shop, gift shop!" Ted yells, pleading with his hands. "Please?"

I look at Christian in question and he sighs and nods. "Alright, but we won't spend much time there." He looks at me in concern. "Take some Advil, please, Ana."

"Okay," I agree, thinking it will actually help. There is no point arguing on this so I reach in my little backpack for some.

oOoOoOo

"Could I please have this one?" Ted asks, excitement written all over his face when we are in the giftshop. He's holding out a cute elephant.

"I thought you said you wanted the lion." I'm feeling really confused – first he said he wanted a monkey, than a tiger, a wolf, a lion and now it's an elephant. "Come on, Monkey, make up your mind before dad changes his mind and doesn't get you anything."

We've been here for about fifteen minutes and Christian is growing impatient. He wants to get me home, the worrywart.

Ted giggles. "I don't know, they all look cool."

We've already chosen a giraffe for Phoebe and she loves it. We're just waiting for Ted to choose a soft toy animal so we can pay for them.

"Come on, Theodore," Christian sighs, impatient. "We've been in here longer than I'd have liked. It's busy and people are staring."

In public, people always stare at us, contemplating whether they know us or not. Many do and want to have a friendly chit-chat but Christian always ignores them. Especially in busy places like this, people love to stare.

Ted huffs.

"Look, you've already got a lion, wolf, monkey and tiger at home. How about the elephant?" I suggest. "It looks adorable!"

He smiles and nods happily.

I rub his head and hand it to Christian. He looks relieved and I have to laugh. Ted and Phoebe both run off to look at other items as Christian goes to pay. I'm currently looking at bookmarks with gorgeous animals on them. Christian notices and smiles.

"Which one do you like best?"

"Um…probably the wolves."

I already have bookmarks of many animals but don't see many of wolves.

Christian takes it off the shelf and goes to pay for it, along with his keychain with lions on it, and the soft toys. I go to argue but he puts a finger on my lips.

"You deserve something, too."

I roll my eyes but nod as he hands the money over to the cash register. He narrows his eyes at me but smiles as we hand the soft toys to the kids and head out of the store.

"What do you say?" I ask Ted and Phoebe.

"Thank you, Daddy," they both chorus.

"You're very welcome," Christian says and smiles as we head to the car. It's been a long, tiring day. I hope that it has been tiring enough for the kids so they fall asleep quicker tonight.

"Someone's going to be a big girl tomorrow!" I squeal and cover Phoebe's cheeks with kisses and she giggles. "Three years old!"

"Yay!" Ted cheers and looks happy for his sister. Ted loves parties, like most kids.

"She's growing up," Christian cuts in and a flash of sadness passes over his face but he looks really happy. I beam at him and he bends down to kiss me chastely.


	12. Chapter 12 - Phoebe Turns Three

**A/N: Aww, it's Phoebe's birthday today. Wish her a happy one! Just imagine the little cutie in her fairy outfit. And Teddy in his wizard costume. By the way, the kids and any new characters are how you imagine them to be. So there is no set appearance. They just resemble their parents, really. Hope this is a good story. May your days be happy :) 3**

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

 **Phoebe turns Three**

 **Sunday, 27th August, 2017**

 **Christian**

* * *

My daughter is now three today. My children are growing up so fast. Ana and I are currently celebrating her birthday with my parents, Mia, Jose, Kate and Elliot with Ava and Jacob and also Ray, Ana's stepdad.

Phoebe and Ava are in fairy outfits with wings and they are running around in the living room waving their wands and squealing. Ted is dressed up as a wizard and he is trying to do magic on my parents. They are laughing and playing along, pretending to be shocked when Ted makes the coin disappear. He is still learning, so it's pretty obvious how he hides it. It's funny and enjoyable all the same.

Phoebe has already opened all her birthday presents – clothes, toys and her new bed that is fairy themed and has barriers on either side to stop her from falling out of bed, like Teddy's – and is very happy with them. I'm glad. I want my daughter to be happy. She is growing up so quickly already, it's hard to believe that she's been with me and Ana for three years, as Ted has been with us for five. But there are many years to come yet, and more surprises that are waiting.

There is a sudden crash and a squeal.

"Shit!" Ana curses from the kitchen. Kate and Ana are currently organizing Phoebe's birthday cake which is covered with fairies, flowers and toadstools, making it out like a mini fairy garden. It is surrounded by a giant toadstool house. It's rather cute.

"Oh, Ana!" Kate whines and grabs a dishtowel off a hook. "Here, put this on it."

 _What in the world is going on?_

"Of course it happens to me," Ana says with a laugh.

"Just keep that towel on," Kate orders.

I walk into the kitchen, nonplussed, until I see smashed bits off glass covering the floor. Ana is currently holding a towel to her left hand and I see blood seeping through the cloth.

 _Shit!_

"Ana!" I stress and step over the glass pieces to check her hand. "What happened?"

She sighs but looks amused. "Don't worry; I just dropped the glass onto the table which cut up into my hand as I tried to catch it and fell onto the floor." She shrugs but grimaces as I frown at her. "Nothing to worry about."

Kate is currently sweeping up the glass pieces with a brush and pan. Immediately, I turn on the faucet and stick Ana's hand under the gushing cold water. Once her hand is mostly blood-free, I pull Ana out of the kitchen and sit her at the barstool with my parents to give more access for Kate to clean the mess up.

"Stay here," I order Ana and head to the bathroom. I come back with wipes, antiseptic cream and bandages. Ana sighs but otherwise doesn't protest.

"Oh, no, what happened here?" Grace worries as I take the towel away and apply the wipes and antiseptic cream to Ana's hand. There's a long, nasty cut carved into her palm.

"She cut her hand with a piece of glass."

Grace gasps and Carrick winces.

"Don't worry, it's not that bad," Ana tries to reassure them, but I don't particularly believe her. "Doesn't need stitches or anything, thankfully."

"Dios mio, Ana!" Jose stresses and sighs as he and Ray walk in from outside. "You're bleeding!"

Ray curses and looks mildly surprised.

Ana sighs and hurries to calm them. "It's okay, I just cut it on a shard of glass. Doesn't hurt much." She winces anyway when I dab more cream on the wound. I cover it with a bandage and kiss it better.

"No using that hand for a while, okay?" I look into her eyes to make sure she's listening. She nods. "It needs rest."

Ted stands in front of his mom and kisses her hand better, too. A magic kiss by the looks of it.

"All better!" he says as he waves his wand.

Ana laughs and kisses Ted's head. "Thank you, sweetie."

"Jeez, Ana, be careful," Ray demands and Ana sighs. "Of course it happened to you, though. You can be clumsy sometimes."

Ana just rolls her eyes at him. She hops up from the stool and goes to walk back to the kitchen but I stop her.

"What are you doing?"

She looks nonplussed.

"Fetching Phoebe's birthday cake. I think it's time to sing 'Happy Birthday' and blow out the candles."

"Yes, cake!" Ted cheers and claps. "Phoebe!" he calls after her and runs into the living room.

"I'll do that," I say and walk past Ana as Kate comes back with drinks. "You rest that hand."

Ana sighs but follows everyone else out into the dining room.

I finish placing candles on the cake and light them. After putting the camera around my neck, I walk into the dining room with the cake to see everyone seated and smiling. Phoebe sits in the head chair with Ana on her right side and an empty chair on her left, which I assume is my spot. Ted sits on Ana's lap with Kate sitting next to Ana, Ava on her lap. Elliot sits down the end with Jacob in his arms and my parents sit next to the empty chair. Jose had to pull in another chair which is placed between Ana and Katherine.

I set up the family video camera so it's there to capture Phoebe blowing out the candles. I've already captured her, Ava and Teddy playing. My favourite was when Phoebe was opening presents. Her face was priceless as she got a surprise for each one.

Phoebe's face lights up as I place the cake on the table in front of her. She won't sit still, jumping around in her chair in excitement. Her face glows as she watches the candles twinkle back at her. I take a few snaps and on three, we all begin sing 'Happy Birthday.'

Phoebe becomes shy as we sing and tries to hide behind the cake. We laugh and say to her to make a wish. She grins and then makes a show of blowing out the candles, having trouble.

"Big breath! Blow, blow," we all encourage.

She keeps having trouble with the last one and starts giggling.

"Blow!" Ana cries. "You can do it, baby!"

"I can't!" she giggles and fails to blow it out again.

"Come on, sis!" Ted encourages. "You can do it!"

Finally she blows the last candle out and we cheer. She giggles, claps and looks back at me. At that moment, I take a picture. Then I pick up the knife and help her cut the first slice. It touches the bottom and Ava yells, "Now you have to kiss the nearest boy!"

"I'm out of here!" Ted says in a hurry and jumps off Ana's lap, moving around the table. We laugh at his reaction. What older brother would want to be kissed by his little sister at this age?

But Phoebe turns around and kisses me on the cheek and I hear a snap of a camera. I smile at my daughter with love and kiss her head in return.

Everyone sings an "Aww" in chorus and I almost roll my eyes.

I realize Jose had taken the picture with his camera and I nod at him in thanks. He nods back, smiling, and after cutting slices of vanilla cake each, I sit down and we all dig in.

"Vanilla," I whisper to Ana and give her a wink.

She grins. "Our favourite."

People look at us, confused, but we just smile and continue eating.

oOoOoOo

Throughout the day we all play multiple party games, all trying to make Phoebe happy. Of course, we let her win on most of the games but Ted and Ava win a couple, too. Phoebe doesn't seem to mind, for which I'm glad. We play games ranging from pass the parcel, pin the tail on the donkey – in this case it was pin the fairy wings on the fairy – running games, musical chairs, and just let Phoebe and the other kids do what they want for the rest of the day while the adults talk.

At the end of the day, it's a long goodbye between us all seeing as the kids want to keep playing with each other. It's a very warm and happy gathering, though.

After Phoebe's birthday dinner – she had chosen homemade pizza – she is exhausted, and frankly, we all are. It doesn't take long to get her and Ted out of their clothes, into the bath and then into bed. It takes a little time calming Teddy down, but Phoebe is out like a light switch.

Ana and I smile at each other as we walk to our bedroom, hand in hand. I love seeing her smile.

"Enjoyed today?"

"Very." She sighs as she takes off her robe. "Exhausting though."

I chuckle. "You betcha."

"Did you?"

"Yes. I love to see my daughter happy. And she's growing up so fast. It's a happy sight."

"It is. I love everything that's happened, all in the years that have flown by."

I pull off my clothes as we speak and the light moment instantly passes when she stares at my bare body and bites her lip. I pin her with my dark, lusty stare and smirk.

Ana purses her lips to try and hide her smile and turns away into the bathroom. I walk up behind her and grab her around the waist.

"Where are you going, Missy?" I growl into her neck and kiss her. She squeals and tries to take my hands away.

"Stop!" she giggles as I tickle her. "Please, stop. I need to pee. Stop, stop!"

I laugh and kiss her once more before letting her go. She mock glowers at me before she shuts the door behind her to do her business.

Laughing, I crawl into bed, not bothering to dress. I casually lay back and fold my arms behind my head as I wait.

Ana comes back out, completely naked, and smiles shyly at me. I gaze up and down her body with need and I grow hungrier as she slowly sways towards me.

As soon as she hits the bed, I pull her on top of me into a deep, hungry kiss, biting her lower lip and then bend down to suck the skin of her neck. Already her breath is increased to panting, joining mine. She moans when I squeeze her breasts softly and rub my thumbs across her already hardened nipples. Her head tips forwards and she collapses onto the mattress beside me, not having the strength to stay upright.

I chuckle. "Tired already, Mrs. Grey?"

"Hmm…"

"Is that all you can manage?"

She closes her eyes. "Hmm."

I stroke her skin of her torso softly, heading south. She gasps and her body bucks beneath me. I maneuver myself over her and press the length of me against her. She groans.

"You still coherent?"

"Hmm…"

I chuckle and kiss her lips sweetly. She responds immediately, her body writhing against me. I trail kisses along her neck to her right breast where I lick and suck her nipple.

"Christian," she groans and I can't resist a smile. She is so responsive.

"That's right, baby," I whisper as I move over to suck the other nipple. I reach down with my hand and brush her pubic hair before cupping her sex. She gasps as I carefully push a finger inside of her. Fuck, she is wet already.

"You are so wet, baby, and only for me," I pant and take her lips with mine, my tongue demanding entry into her mouth. She lets me and our tongues connect, touching and twisting in their own dance. I circle my finger around her and slip two more fingers inside of her, stretching her insides to accommodate the width of me. My thumb brushes against her clitoris again and again, until her moans and breathing climbs higher and grows frantic. Her body tenses and she comes gloriously around my fingers.

I growl and kiss her more forcefully, showing her my love.

"Take me…take me now, Christian," she begs and I nearly convulse. I love it when she demands me to take her.

Groaning, I level myself over her and gently slip inside her. She moans and clutches onto my back tightly. Her legs wrap around my waist, pulling me into her further. I groan. Her fingers slip into my hair as I pull out and she tugs when I push back in. In and out, so slowly, sweetly, persuading her to let go. I increase the pace slightly, but it's still glorious, sweet love making. I love doing this to her. She loves it immensely, as well as our kinky fuckery. Anything that makes her happy, I love.

"Christian!" she calls out as she finds her release and clutches me tighter. I groan and kiss her lips as I feel mine approaching.

"Oh, Ana!" I cry against her lips as I find mine and fill her up. The powerful sensations wash through my body, leaving me breathless and wanting.

What Anastasia does to me. I love her so much.

We lie there, panting, holding onto each other with a need to stay together. Ana rests her head on my chest and I softly stroke her back, buttocks and legs as she hums. Occasionally she kisses my chest, my scars, and my heart flips, but in a good way. I love her touching me now, but only her and my children and the rest of the family. I am more uncomfortable with them but I am always relaxed with Ana. She is so beautiful. Sensing my gaze, she peers up at me. I smile.

"Hi," she whispers, her breathing calm.

"Hi," I say and kiss her forehead. "Satisfied, Mrs. Grey?"

She grins. "Very, Mr. Grey." She sighs and I cock my head at her in question. "Back to reality tomorrow."

I chuckle. "You know you don't have to work."

"I know, I know." She rolls her eyes. "But I want to."

I sigh, knowing I can't argue with her, but kiss her head again and nuzzle my nose into her hair. It smells sweet like Ana. Mmm…

"I'll text and call you during the day to make it more exciting, okay?"

She nods and smiles, then leans up to kiss me sweetly on the lips. Groaning, I respond and pull her into a deeper kiss. I pull away moments after and stroke her cheek.

"Lie down," I whisper and she does. I turn her around to face away from me and pull her back against me, spoon style, wrapping my arm around her waist. I snuggle my face into her hair. "Sleep now, my sweet Anastasia."

I sense her smile in the dark. "Good night, Christian."

"Good night, Ana."

We both fall into a peaceful sleep.


	13. Chapter 13 - Emails

**A/N:** **Now here is where everything is spicy! With simple emails ;P Enjoy...**

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **Emails**

 **Monday, 28th August 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey

 **Subject:** Good morning

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 10:25

 **To:** Anastasia Grey

Good morning my beautiful girl (note the my)

First of all, I love waking up to you. Always.

I hope you're having a lovely day at work and that you're keeping yourself out of harm's way. I had a very nice weekend with you and the kids. I am so happy that they are growing up, and happy to see you happy.

Today, I am smiling.

You make me so happy, Ana.

Christian Grey x

Completely and Utterly Smitten CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

* * *

His message brings a smile to my face.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey

 **Subject:** Good morning

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 10:31

 **To:** Christian Grey

Dear Completely and Utterly Smitten

Stop it, you are making me blush.

Good morning to you, too. I am glad to be happy and that you are as well. You can be so grumpy at work sometimes. A lot, actually.

Hope you are having a nice day and for it to stay that way.

Love Ana x

Blushing CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey

 **Subject:** Grumpy?

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 10:36

 **To:** Anastasia Grey

You haven't seen grumpy. And I can sure as hell show you that.

I loved last night – getting hard thinking about it. Can't wait to do exactly that again tonight…

Christian Grey x

Spellbound & Hard CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

* * *

Grinning, I send another message, my heart gaining speed. He can be so erotic!

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey

 **Subject:** Giggling – and wet

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 10:40

 **To:** Christian Grey

Dear Mr. Grumpy, Hard and Spellbound.

I love that you're hard. It's making me wet.

My pants are soaked already, Mr. Grey.

What do you have to say for yourself?

And I need to work. Stop bothering me.

Ana x

Soaked and Giggling CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

He takes a little longer to send a reply back and I grin, biting my lip. I am silently hugging myself with glee and my inner Goddess is fanning herself after doing backflips around the room.

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey

 **Subject:** On the matter of wetness…

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 10:44

 **To:** Anastasia Grey

Dear Mrs. Wet and Giggling.

I've just dropped coffee all over my desk.

I hardly ever do that.

What do _you_ have to say for yourself?

On that note, I don't have anything to say except that I enjoy you wet and giggling. Now you've made me grow harder. I'm not kidding. And I don't want to stop bothering you.

Christian Grey x

Completely Shocked & Stiff CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

* * *

 _Oh_ _my…_ His email makes me laugh.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey

 **Subject:** Panting…

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 10:47

 **To:** Christian Grey

Dear Completely Shocked & Stiff.

I almost look like I've wet myself I'm so aroused.

Can't wait for tonight – I am desperate to take you with my mouth.

Now stop pestering, work needs to be done.

Anastasia x

Utterly Soaked and Aroused CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

It takes even longer for his next reply. I wait…and wait…still nothing. Uh-oh, is my message too detailed? I'm biting my lip so hard that it bleeds. _Ow…_

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey

 **Subject:** Groaning…

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 10:52

 **To:** Anastasia Grey

Dear Utterly Soaked & Aroused,

You made me fall off my desk chair.

You are amazing, Mrs. Grey.

I am completely astounded (with wide eyes and mouth)

You beguile me at every turn.

Soaked pants makes two of us.

Now, if you don't mind, I must visit the restroom and see if I have a spare pair of pants…

Thanks for that.

Christian Grey x

PS: Oh, you're definitely having me tonight.

Post-coital, Partly annoyed & Shocked CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

* * *

My eyes grow wide and my mouth pops open at his words. Did he just…?

"What!" I exclaim in shock and laugh. "Oh, my, God…" I bite my hand to keep my laughter in.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey

 **Subject:** You didn't…

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 10:56

 **To:** Christian Grey

Dear Shocked, Partly annoyed & Post-coital – meaning…did you just come? In your pants?

Ana x

Utterly Shocked & Still Wet CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey

 **Subject:** Guilty as charged

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 10:59

 **To:** Anastasia Grey

Dear Utterly Shocked and Still Wet

I'm not the only one who should feel guilty – it's your own fault, Mrs. Grey.

Payback tonight – you better watch out.

Christian Grey

CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

* * *

Oh…my…God.

I am covering my mouth with my hand, trying not to laugh too loudly. Who would have thought I could make him come during work?

Oh shit…

I'm definitely going to have it tonight. I grin at the thought.

Taking a deep breath, I write another message before continuing on with my work.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey

 **Subject:** Tonight – impatient

 **Date:** August 28th 2017 11:05

 **To:** Christian Grey

Dear Post-coital husband,

I am looking forward to tonight…

Your (giggling, wet and biting lip) Ana x

CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

At 1:32pm after a meeting and taking care for a few things, I call mom. She'll want to know about Phoebe's birthday seeing as she couldn't make it as she had come down with a cold.

"Sweetheart, I'm glad she had fun," she says happily. "I want to come down soon to see her all grown up. I'm sorry I couldn't come."

"Yeah, they grow pretty fast. And no, mom, you just focus on feeling better."

"Well, I'll come down to meet you again, like I do every year."

My throat catches with unshed tears.

"That…that would be great, mom," I sniff, blinking back my emotion. I haven't seen her in ages.

"Oh, honey," she sighs, "don't get all weepy on me. I will always come down."

"I know."

"Anyway, how's your hubby?"

I laugh. "Yeah, mom, he's good. More than good." I think of our erotic messages and blush.

"I'm glad."

"How's yours?"

"Oh, Bob's happy. Went off on a golf trip this week." She sounds emotional, too, being away from him.

"Oh, mom, you won't be alone forever. I'm sure he's enjoying his trip but can't wait to get back to you. He adores you."

I can sense her smile as she sniffs. "I know, darling. Thank you. He's called me. I'm sure he's fine, I just worry. I worry about you a lot, too. I wish I could see you more."

"Mom," I whine, emotional.

"I know, I'm silly," she laughs. "Anyway, I wish you all the best. Say happy birthday to Phoebe for me."

"I will. I wish you the best, too. You know you and Bob could always choose to live in Seattle. Near us."

"Oh, I know, but we quite like it here. It will be rather foreign to move."

"That's okay, Mom. You just must visit me more. That's not a request."

She laughs. "Oh, I will, but I don't have enough –"

"Hey, Christian and I have you guys covered. I've told you this before. Don't worry."

She sighs. "Alright. I love you, Ana."

I smile. "I love you, too, Mom."

We hang up and I feel a sudden sense of old homesickness. I haven't seen my mom in quite some time and can't wait to see how she is in person. We have such good talks and she always gives me good advice and comfort, like any good mom does.

I sigh, and get back to work.

oOoOoOo

 **Tuesday, 29th August 2017**

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey

 **Subject:** Daydreaming…

 **Date:** August 29th 2017 11:45

 **To:** Christian Grey

Dear Heart-stoppingly Beautiful,

…of last night. That was something. Thank you for such an eventful night. Never thought a night could be so bumpy when staying home. Literally bumpy – the baby's growing fast. Can't stop feeling giddy. I wouldn't mind some more of that tonight…

If you're in the mood of course. No pressure.

Love Your (and yours only) Ana x

CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey

 **Subject:** In the mood

 **Date:** August 29th 2017 11: 49

 **To:** Anastasia Grey

With you, I'm always in the mood.

I enjoyed last night very much as well.

So I accept your invitation to continue that tonight ;)

The baby is growing fast, and it scares as well as excites me.

Goddamn right you're only mine.

Your (and yours only) Christian x

CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

* * *

I smile ridiculously wide at his message. And he winked at me! Can I be any happier or luckier?

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey

 **Subject:** In-the-moment

 **Date:** August 29th 2017 11:52

 **To:** Christian Grey

I thought you were an in-the-moment type of guy. You can't always be in the moment, surely? Even post-coital?

Anyhow, I am glad you graciously accept my invitation to give you pleasure. I must say, I am one very lucky lady. And please don't be too scared – you're an amazing father.

Love the wink ;)

Looking forward to tonight :O

Ana x

CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey

 **Subject:** In-the-moment

 **Date:** August 29th 2017 11:57

 **To:** Anastasia Grey

For sex, Ana, I'm always in the moment, but only with you.

"I'm-in-the-moment" when I'm angry. And it's a little hard to be too anxious, but I love being a father. I still can't believe I am one.

I love your wink more.

What does the open mouth mean…?

Christian x

Curious CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey

 **Subject:** Tonight

 **Date:** August 29th 2017 12:01

 **To:** Christian Grey

Well, I'm glad it's only with me ;)

And it means that I am open and ready :D

Ana x

CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

I wait for his next message but it takes a while and I vaguely wonder what he's up to…

As eight minutes fly by, I go back to my work, only to be distracted two minutes later by the familiar "ping" coming from my inbox. I open it.

* * *

 **From:** Christian Grey

 **Subject:** Tonight – Groaning

 **Date:** August 29th 2017 12:11

 **To:** Anastasia Grey

Don't make me come again because if you do, I'll be at your desk in a heartbeat.

Don't tempt me.

Tonight means when we've finished work, not now.

Now, sorry to cut this short but I must go into a meeting.

Laters, baby x

Christian Grey

Impatient CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc.

* * *

I grin wickedly with childish delight. I love making him feel this way. What the power of words can do. I recall yesterday evening when he came to pick me up...

When I got in the car, I was met with a grumpy, amused and lusty Christian who stared at me with hooded eyes in greeting. He hadn't been able to find a fresh pair of pants, and especially since he had to go into a meeting, didn't have time to change – so he went in with wet pants and told everyone that he just spilled coffee on himself. Which wasn't a lie – he had to pour some coffee on his pants so they'd believe him.

When I saw him like that I couldn't help giggling. The look he gave me when I did was so severe that silenced me straight away. I think he was quite embarrassed about that little fiasco. I remember being a little worried what he would do, but the whole ride there, he didn't touch me, just stared at me and talked a bit about his day and how much he wanted to get me back for it.

As soon as we got home – the kids were home and in their playroom – Christian swept me off my feet and headed straight for our bedroom. That night was something special to remember. He had a habit of that, of making all our times making love or fucking, special, which always gets committed to long-term memory. He made sweet love that night. I was surprised, given he was so desperate to get back at me.

So instead of fucking and spanking me, he made slow, torturous love and wouldn't let me come at times. And I was surprised by his boldness, but he begged for me to suck him. Literally told me to bend down and stood in front of me, looking down at me with love and longing. I was all for it. I love watching him come apart at the seams for me. So I obeyed with a grin and sucked him till he came twice. He loved it immensely and was so amazed and pleased with me that he made me come up to ten times. It was exhausting but he said I deserved it.

After that, he took me in the spa we had installed in our bathroom and we just relaxed. We made love once more in there and although it was slow and sweet, it sure was steamy. That night will always bring a smile to my face and all the nights with him before that. He makes me so spoiled and lucky.

* * *

 **From:** Anastasia Grey

 **Subject:** Tempting…

 **Date:** August 29th 2017 12:21

 **To:** Christian Grey

…to give you another orgasm. But I can wait.

See you tonight ;)

Ana x

CEO, Editor in Chief, Grey Publishing

* * *

 **A/N:** **To be continued! ;D Was that good?**


	14. Chapter 14 - Car Ride

**A/N:** **Yes, yes, more sex...isn't that all they do pretty much in the entire trilogy? They love it too much...and I hope you do too XD**

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

 **Car Ride**

 **Monday, 28th August 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

"Fuck, Ana!" Christian cries through gritted teeth. He's clutching the seat tightly, head tipped back in pleasure, groaning and panting.

I am kneeling down on the car floor in front of him, giving him yet another blowjob.

We are both impatient for tonight, the power of our messages increasing that need, so as soon as we greet and ask how our days went, I slide shut the privacy screen so Taylor won't be able to hear or see us. Christian gives me a wary look that says what-are-you-up-to-you-cheeky-girl? I grin, unbuckle my seatbelt, and straddle him. After a heated session of kissing, I give him what he's been waiting for.

I suck his erection, licking off the dew at the tip while I squeeze his balls with my hands. So far he's begged me to stop but made no move to stop me. He's enjoying this too much. When I suck him harder he groans and flexes his hips so he moves deeper into my mouth.

"Oh, Ana…yes…fuck yes…oh, baby. That. Feels. Good," he pants as he surrenders to me. _Yes!_ _I win!_ His breathing is erratic, showing his pleasure. It spurs me on and I suck harder, twirling his head around with my tongue while stroking his length and balls. He groans and starts massaging my head with his fingers, tugging at times. As I suck, he grows stiffer and more impatient for release.

"Ana," he groans and looks down at me when I peer up at him. His eyes darken and grow larger as his mouth goes slack. He's always aroused at seeing me kneeling down like this, sucking his cock.

"Ana," he breathes and strokes the side of my face. I suck him harder and his mouth opens wider. He sucks in a sharp breath. "Fuck, Ana. Oh, what would I do without you?" I wink at him as it's the only response I can give him right now and he groans. "God…Ana, I'm going to –"

"Fuck!" he cries out as he comes, pouring himself into me. I swallow, squeezing his balls to get every last bit. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, Ana, stop. Please. Or I'm going to come again."

At that, I keep sucking, licking and squeezing, grinning with glee inside. His face melts in pleasure and I am rewarded when his eyes roll to the back of his head and he collapses in his seat with a growl.

"Ana!" he whines and I snicker around his length. "God, what you do to me, woman." His teeth are gritted. "Ah, no…fuck…Ana, stop. I'm about to come again. Ah!"

And he spontaneously combusts into my mouth once more, crying out my name with immense pleasure. I swallow the last bit and let go of him then peer up at him. He is watching me with tender eyes full of love, lust and relief as he pants. I lick my lips, tasting his salty sweet tang of his arousal.

Christian's eyes grow greedier and he bends down and grabs me, hoisting me on his lap and pulling me into a deep, hungry kiss. I respond and it heats up as we taste each other's tongues. He groans when I moan and we wrap our arms around each other. We are all fingers and hair and lips and tongues and sweet, sweet love.

He pulls away to look deeply into my eyes and strokes my cheek. I smile down at him and peck him once more on his lips. He shakes his head in disbelief.

"You are one amazing woman," he breathes and laughs. He presses another kiss onto my lips, cheeks, nose, ears, down my neck and back to my lips. "I am such a lucky man. Thank heavens I married you."

I grin and bite my lip at his compliment. His eyes darken so I release my lip and kiss him again to silence him. He grins and rubs his erection against me. I gasp as I notice he hasn't tucked it back in his pants.

"Christian…"

"Yes, Mrs. Grey?" He raises his eyebrow, amused. He flexes his hips and his erection digs into me.

"Fuck," I breathe and laugh. I look down at his erection which is still taught, resting against my crotch. It rubs on my clitoris and I can't keep a moan in. I look back up at him and his eyes are hooded as he watches me. He hoists my skirt up my legs and rips my panties. "How can you still be so hard? I just gave you two –"

"Ah!" I cry out when he cuts me off by sliding his erection deep into me. I gasp in pleasure and surprise. It's deep this way, straddling him like this. He holds onto my hips and begins moving inside me, in circles, lifting me up and back down onto him, again and again.

"Christian," I moan at the sudden act. I wasn't expecting this. Well, I was… just not so soon.

"Hush," he breathes and kisses me. "You deserve this."

I respond, throwing all my love for this man into the kiss. Suddenly I feel my clitoris being rubbed by his thumb in a circular motion and I moan into his mouth. He grazes his teeth against my lower lip and bites it. I gasp. He grins.

"I am always hard for you, Ana," he rasps through heavy breaths. He strokes my lower lip with the thumb of his free hand repetitively, mimicking the motion he creates on my clitoris. He presses his thumb against my lip hard and does the exact same down there. I groan and clutch his shoulders to balance myself better.

"You move, Ana," he orders in a pant. "Fuck me."

My mouth pops open at his command but I comply, using him to hoist myself up and down. I increase the speed and intensity and he sighs heavily in pure pleasure. Still, he keeps massaging my clitoris, and it's even more intense with me moving up and down. Eventually we're mixing breaths and moans of pleasure.

"Christian," I moan as I feel everything down there clench.

"Come for me, baby," he pleads, looking me intently in the eyes. His gaze is so powerful that it brings me to the brink. I come, loudly and spectacularly around him and he follows straight after, filling himself into me.

"Ah…Christian!"

"Oh, Ana!"

We hold onto each other to catch our breathing and calm our libidos down, resting on each other's shoulders. After a time we come to our senses and we break apart. Christian kisses me once more before hoisting me off of him. I sit down beside him and straighten out my dress so no one can see underneath, seeing as my panties are ripped. Christian zips his jeans up and reaches for my hand. He gives it a kiss and strokes his thumb along my knuckles. I grin and he grins back.

"I love you," I whisper and lean against him.

He squeezes my hand and kisses my hair.

"As I love you."


	15. Chapter 15 - Fire in the hole!

**A/N** **: Oh no! A fire? That doesn't sound good... :O**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **Fire in the hole!**

 **Wednesday, 30th August 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

I wake suddenly, startled from a strange dream. My heart is pounding and I feel hot, too hot. Boiling actually as though I'm bathed in sunlight. I blink the sleepiness out of my eyes and look around the room. It's light out, morning. Before I look down to see, I feel the weight and heat of Christian lying on top of me, holding me to him and the mattress.

Oh, boy. I am sweating and I notice beads of sweat cling to his skin, too. Man, last night was something else to remember. I look at the time and see that it's 7:27am. Shit! The alarm already went off. When? And why didn't Christian or I hear it? We both have work at nine and Ted has kindergarten, so it's good that I woke up now, or we'll be late.

I sit up and stretch, yawning. Why am I still so tired? We didn't stay up that late last night. Perhaps it was all that sex that exhausted me. I shift to get out of bed and Christian stirs awake. He blinks up at me and smiles.

"Good morning, beautiful," he whispers, his eyes sparkling. God, does he look sexy, naked and all tousle-haired. His bare chest looks back at me and I have the urge to kiss him there. So I do and he groans, pulls my face up and kisses me on the lips.

"Good morning, handsome," I whisper back when we pull away. I go to slide off the bed but he pulls me back and pins me down to the mattress with his body. He grins mischievously and I groan.

"We have to get up," I whine but I can't help grinning ridiculously back up at him. I make to buck him off but he's too heavy. He growls and nuzzles his face in my neck, kissing and biting me playfully. I squeal and giggle. "Christian! We'll be late. We have to take Ted to kinder, too."

He groans in complaint. "Fine," he huffs, kisses me once more on my lips and nuzzles his nose down the length of mine. "But I'm getting some more of you tonight."

I smile. "Of course."

He gets off me and pulls me up with him. I stumble when I'm standing, my head spinning.

"You alright?" he asks cautiously as he catches me.

"Yes," I giggle. "Head rush."

He grins and kisses my forehead. He goes over to our walk-in closet and starts dressing. I do the same and we share sensual looks and kisses now and then as we dress. Finally, he's in his work uniform, and I'm in my dress, hair brushed.

It takes a bit to wake the kids up, but we manage and Ted lazily gets dressed and comes down for breakfast. I come down holding Phoebe and place her in her highchair – we still put her in there occasionally because she won't stay sitting down in one meal. Constantly she'll be up and down. She doesn't like being put in the highchair anymore but there isn't much we can do.

Mrs. Jones greets us warmly and serves us toast, bacon and eggs for breakfast. We thank her and begin eating. Ted is playing with his food rather than eating it and I frown.

"Ted," I call disapprovingly and he looks up at me quickly. "Your food is to be eaten not played with."

He pouts. "But I always eat it."

I chuckle in spite of myself. "That's the point."

"Eat, Theodore," Christian says sternly and I almost want to roll my eyes at him. Ted sighs but otherwise complies.

It's rather silent as we finish eating but relaxing.

Once all our hair and teeth are brushed, I pack Ted's lunch made by a gracious Mrs. Jones into Ted's backpack, zip it up and we're out the door. Gail looks after Phoebe when we leave.

Taylor drives us in the Audi, with Christian and I in the window seats and Ted in the middle. He is jumping up and down in his seat, excited for a new day and I can't help but grin, too.

"Bye, Mommy," he says as he hugs and kisses me. I hug and kiss him goodbye back.

"Cya, Ted. Have a good day."

"Bye, Daddy," he gives Christian a big hug and grins.

"Bye, kiddo." Christian smiles and pats his son's head.

Ted waves at us and walks through the doors to kinder.

Hand in hand, Christian and I walk back to the car.

"He's so excited about kinder," I say when we're driving again. "It's a thrill to see."

"It is." Christian grins and kisses my hand, stroking his thumb back and forth over my knuckles. It sends sparks of warmth down to my groin and I shift in my chair. Christian gives me a quizzical look but then smirks knowingly and whispers in my ear, "Tonight."

I shudder and nod. We arrive at my workplace shortly.

"I love you, baby," he says as I go to close the car door.

I smile at him and blow him a kiss. He catches it and grins back at me.

"I love you, too," I say and shut the door. We both wave and Taylor drives off.

Smiling brightly, I walk into work. I greet everyone warmly as I pass them on the way to my office. Firing up my laptop I check how much work needs to be done. I sigh and get stuck into it.

After a meeting it's 12:31, lunch break. I head back to my desk to fetch my keys and go out for some lunch. I think about life, Christian and our children as I eat a chicken and salad wrap and think of how happy we are. Jeez, to think only about six years ago I was walking into the Grey House to meet with the handsome CEO I had no clue about for an unexpected interview thrown on me by my best friend. And now I am married with kids to that exact handsome man I never thought would be mine. Man, how the years have flown.

When I get back, I feel rather exhausted for some strange reason but continue on with my work. Around 12pm, I feel violently sick and I rush to the bathroom. That's strange. I thought I was over the sickness I had not so long ago. I rinse myself in the bathroom sink and try not to worry about it. I don't think I'll tell Christian because it will only worry him and he'll insist I see a doctor when I really don't need to.

I tell Justice and Hannah when they ask that it's nothing to worry about and get on with my work. People can worry about me so much these days, and I don't know if that's because I am married to one of the richest bachelors in Seattle or something else. And I still can't believe I am married to that man.

Around half an hour later, after returning from the bathroom _again_ , I return to my office to finish work and discover something that roots me to the spot in the doorway. I inch closer to look and sitting on the shelf next to my desk is a freaking pipe bomb if I am not mistaken.

The red numbers tick away which reads I have only 2 minutes and 20 seconds to get myself and everyone else out of this building before it goes off. It would have been comical if it weren't actually real.

 _What the hell?!_

Had I not noticed it now, I could've died, along with everyone else in the building.

 _Christ !_

Scrambling to pick up my keys and purse I rush out and start screaming at everyone to evacuate. I pull down the fire alarm on my way. Soon people are scrambling to the reception.

"What's wrong, Mrs. Grey?" Multiple people are asking me. "Is there a fire?" "Are there burglars?" "Are we in danger?"

"Ana, you're scaring us, what the hell is wrong?" Hannah worries, looking at me wide-eyed. "I can't see a fire."

"No, guys, calm down!" I shout and the whole room goes silent. "Please go, now! Just go!" I yell to everyone who hesitates. People give me looks so I finally yell, "Believe it or not, but there's a freaking bomb in my office, okay?! RUN!"

Instantly the whole room evacuates. I notice the evacuation stairwell is out of order in need of fixing – seriously, why does it need to be unavailable as soon as the possibility of a fire happens? – and everyone rushes to the elevator instead but even squished up, not everyone can fit into it. Only one person is left out, so I urge that person to come through in replace of myself being left behind.

Everyone freaks out and starts yelling at me but I don't give them a chance to persuade me otherwise and hit the elevator button. The doors close on their horrified faces and the elevator goes down to the reception. Usually it's bad to use the elevator when there's a fire, but there isn't much else we can do. There are stairs missing from a random break-in that happened a couple of days ago.

Now I am jumping up and down and pacing, waiting for the elevator to come back up. Cautiously, I rush to my office and check the bomb.

 _FUCK!_

Literally ten seconds left. I am out of time. There's no way I can make it out in time. Thinking quickly, I rush into a room at the very back, close the door, put furniture in front of it and rush to a table. I push the stuff off it and tip it onto its side and hop behind it in the corner of the room. I cover my ears, close my eyes tightly and curl into a ball just as the bomb goes off. I feel the table push me into the wall, bruising me, but still, I stay like this.

Time passes by and I feel like I am underwater as the deafening sound of the bomb going off surrounds me. My ears make a high pitched ringing sound. Immediately something hits me and I am trapped to the ground by furniture that is heavy and hard. _Ow!_

Suddenly I find it hard to breathe. Smoke fills my lungs and I cough as I open my eyes and uncover my ears. I look around and see the bright light of fire through the furniture. I heave the table off of me enough that I manage to crawl out and unsteadily climb to my feet. My ears stop the ringing as I cautiously step out the door, which has been blown apart by the bomb. I look around the office and it's completely covered in fire, absolutely ruined. My office has the worst – door and windows shattered, broken pieces lying everywhere. The fire alarm sprinklers are on, instantly soaking me, trying desperately to do their job but the fire is too strong.

I notice I am stuck. There's too much fire in the way. I cannot escape. _Shit, shit, shit!_

I blink in the blaze of the fire and inch myself around it, trying to get to the elevator or even the broken stairwell. But I cannot see where they are – fire is blazing, surrounding me. It's way too hot and I feel like I'm in an oven. It's absolutely scorching. I watch as it hisses nearby and shoots up so I have to take a step back. Slowly it eats everything in the room and I know that if I cannot get out, I will be eaten, too. I am lucky enough to have survived the bomb.

Fear grips me, and I panic, not knowing what to do. No, I can't die! Not now, not like this. I can't do that to Christian or my children. They were so happy this morning. Oh, why oh why does this have to happen now? Christian will be so worried.

I find my lungs fogged up with smoke and that I am continuously coughing. The heat and smoke is stinging my eyes and making it hard to see.

Instantly, I pick up a shard of glass, careful to hold it with my jacket sleeve, and slice it into my dress, ripping off a piece of fabric. Holding the fabric over my nose and mouth, I drop the glass and look around some more, racking my brain for any options to escape.

The material isn't helping much, and I sway from one side to the other, collapsing into the doorway to catch my fall. My mind is too hazy with smoke and can't handle it and I feel myself slip away. The smoke makes me feel dizzy and violently sick and I chuck up nearby into the flames which hiss in response. This time, I let myself sink to the ground in a part where there's no fire and curl up to my side. I can't stay awake no more – I am just too tired and out of fresh oxygen. I watch the rising flames flicker around me as exhaustion clouds me. Sirens fill the background outside.

I am instantly worried about the baby. Will he or she be okay with all this smoke I am inhaling? I hope to God it'll be okay. I can't let it die on me.

In my haze, I hear shouting and the hissing of water being sprayed onto the flames to put them out. Fire-fighters come into view and make their way over to me. A young male leans down next to me and helps me sit up, wrapping his arms around me and lifts me up.

"I've got her!" he shouts to the others. "She's alive and conscious, but barely."

"Take her down!" another shouts.

The young male does just that, making his way through the fire and smoke towards the elevator.

"You're going to be okay," he tells me in a friendly but professional-like manner.

Exhaustion overwhelms me and I black out.

I wake to an enclosed and busy surrounding. I note I am lying on a bed and wearing a mask so I can breathe easier. I look around me and figure that I am in an ambulance, the back doors open. Other people are hanging outside the building and a couple of others are being treated from the smoke as well. A couple of paramedics are telling orders to each other inside the van. One appears beside me.

"Hello, there," she says softly with a smile. "I'm Elisa." She reaches and touches my head with her hand to check my temperature. "She's awake," Elisa says to the male paramedic. She turns back to me. "Gave us quite a scare there – the fire-fighters thought you'd die."

I cough a few times when I feel my throat is parched and sore from all the smoke. I blink up at her.

"I'm fine," I mumble, nonplussed. My voice is croaky, my mouth dry.

Elisa smiles. "That's good. Just rest here for a moment though."

I nod and rest patiently as she tends to my cuts and bruises that were given by the furniture falling on me. I feel so groggy and confused. God, that happened so fast. Why did it only happen to me? It seems surreal.

"What's the time?" I ask her.

"It's just after 1:30 in the afternoon, dear." I've slept for an hour? She smiles at me and glances to the door. "Oh, I believe your husband has just arrived."

 _Oh, no…_

At that, a shocked and panicked Christian Grey rushes into the ambulance and after taking one look at me, begins hurriedly demanding answers from the paramedics. The male paramedic tells him what happened and soothes him while Elisa finishes up bandaging my cuts.

Christian asks if he can stay and Elisa lets him sit on the stool beside my bed. He takes my hand and looks at me with wide, panicked eyes.

"Hey, baby," he whispers.

He is still in his work uniform, black pants, grey tie and white t-shirt which has the first button undone. His hair is all tousled, probably because he's been running his hands through it. He looks beautiful and sexy like always…and all mine.

Christian strokes my forehead. "I've been so worried. You scared me to death when I heard about you being stuck in a fire. I tried to make it here much quicker but the traffic was nuts. Probably because of the fire here. Many people are checking it out. I had to run the rest of the way – I was too anxious to stay in the car." He takes a deep breath. "Jesus. My heart's still beating fast."

 _Oh, my poor Fifty._

"Christian," I croak and clear my throat to sounds clearer. "I'm okay."

He frowns down at me sadly and he looks so vulnerable. He continues to stroke my head and hand repetitively.

"Seriously, I'm okay," I whisper through the mask. "I'm sorry I scared you. It scared me, too."

"Oh, baby," he breathes and kisses my head softly. "I'm sorry."

I shake my head to brush it off. "I'm fine now." I squeeze his hand. He smiles slightly and squeezes mine back. "It was a shock. But I'm okay."

I feel rather sleepy once more and Christian notices when my eyes droop.

"Just rest now, baby," he whispers, softly stroking my head. It soothes and relaxes me. "Sleep, Anastasia."

Not wanting to worry or stress him further, I do as I'm told and find I can sleep easily despite what just happened and the situation I'm in now.


	16. Chapter 16 - Nightmare

**A/N** **: A bit of a strange chapter this one perhaps but a chapter none the less. Enjoy :)**

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen**

 **Nightmare**

 **Wednesday, 30th** **August 2017**

 **Christian**

* * *

Anastasia has been asleep in our bedroom for hours and it worries me. She's never slept this long without waking up for a bathroom break. A straight eight hours she's slept. It's now 9:32pm and I am desperate for her to wake up. I don't want to wake her myself as she needs the rest.

After the incident at work today, the paramedics fixed her up and said she was able to go home as long as she rested. So they drove her home, me at her side, and Taylor driving in the Audi behind us.

There were so many people hanging outside the publishing house – fire-fighters, paramedics, police, everyone who worked in the building and so many other onlookers. Even news reporters were placed outside, reporting the recent tragic event that had occurred and how terrified everyone was. Of course, Ana was all over the news – I've seen it enough times on TV tonight for it to be annoying – what with her being a Grey and married to the rich and famous CEO.

Ever since she became my girlfriend, and then later when we got engaged and married, she's been a hit on the news along with me for quite some time. The paparazzi bother us a lot and there were a lot hanging around the event today. It isn't something one can forget soon.

I notice that Ana won't be able to go into work until the building is fixed up which can take weeks. Many workers will probably work from home but for the rest of the week, I just want Ana to rest. I'm sure, given that she owns the company, too, that she is allowed to have a little break. I know she won't like it and will argue about it when she wakes up.

Anxiety grips me again. Why isn't she up yet? It's been hours! Christ, she must have been so exhausted and shaken and I can't blame her.

When we got home, I changed her and put her straight to bed. She stirred awake once or twice but was out like a light shortly after. I stayed with her for a while, but feeling restless, took a shower and changed.

I ordered Taylor to pick Ted up from kinder because I didn't want to leave Ana in case she woke up and needed me. I ended up helping Ted with his homework – he had to read a book which he did perfectly. I rewarded him with a chocolate bar and he went off to play.

I went and checked on Ana, and seeing her asleep I busied myself with some work and TV. After checking on Ana again, I ate dinner with Ted and Phoebe. After dessert, I gave them both a bath, got them changed and read them a story before bed.

Now I am lying next to Ana, trying to sleep but my mind is too restless. I'm too anxious. So I just watch her in the dark, the only light created by the moon through the window, and watch as her chest rises and falls. She looks beautiful, even with her bandaged cuts. Her hair cascades down to her breasts and she's sucking on her thumb. I can't help but chuckle. She's always adorable when she does that. I still have several photos of her sleeping, many of them sucking her thumb. She's told me to get rid of them because they're embarrassing but I tell her that no one will see them but me. Which is true – I don't like others gawking at her. The one's of her sleeping are very private, so especially not them. They are for my eyes only.

Her cheeks are slightly flushed and her lips are full of blood, open in an _O_ shape to allow her thumb to rest in her mouth. She looks so peaceful and I cannot wake her, even though I want to, to ask how she is. She needs to eat, too.

In the cool dim light the moon creates, I notice her breasts her fuller than normal. Her pert nipples are erect and are easily seen through her shirt. That's strange… Or are my eyes deceiving me? I sit up on my elbow and cock my head, smiling. Carefully, watching her in case she wakes, I reach out and cup her left breast in my hand, feeling its weight and girth. Yep, definitely fuller. I cup the other one, hearing her soft hum of appreciation. That one too, is fuller. She's developing well and fast in her pregnancy. But I have never seen them this big before. It arouses me. Do they contain more colostrum or milk or something? I shake my head and smile in amusement as Ana shudders, moans and stretches so that her breast fills my palm.

 _Oops, don't want to wake her._

I let go of her breasts and lay back down, watching her. She is quite something to look at and I could gaze at her for eternity if it were possible. Smiling, I wrap my arm around her, close my eyes and sleep.

oOoOoOo

About an hour later I hear petrified moaning and shouting. I wake instantly and sit up to find Anastasia breathing erratically, and moving around the bed, kicking the sheets. _Shit!_ She's having a nightmare!

 _Calm down and wake her up, Grey!_

"Ana!" I say as I shake her shoulders. She continues to moan in utter fear. "Ana, baby, wake up. It's just a dream. Wake up, Ana."

Finally she yelps and sits upright, her eyes wide-open as she pants. She glances around the room frantically and her eyes rest on me.

"It's okay, Ana, you're safe," I breathe and pull her into my arms. She wraps hers around my neck and rests her head on my chest, still breathing in fright. "Shh, you're safe, baby, it was just a dream. You're home now."

"Christian," she cries in fear and she sniffs. Her body shakes. She's crying!

"Oh, Ana, shh, don't cry," I whisper and stroke her hair. "I'm here, I'm here. You're safe, Ana."

A part of my mind notices something wet that covers the bed sheets, Ana and me. What is that? I frown as I think of what it could be and suddenly it occurs to me that she wet herself. _Fuck!_ She's that scared.

"Shh, baby, please don't cry." She sniffs and wipes her eyes. I sit us up and turn the light on and her head is in her hands and she's repeatedly cursing.

"Fuck…God, I'm so stupid…fuck!" She wipes her eyes once more and looks up at me. Her lower lip trembles and more tears pour out of her eyes. "Christian, I –"

I shake my head and cover her mouth with my finger. "Don't. Ana, you had a nightmare. It's fine." She flushes and looks down in utter embarrassment. "Ana, look at me." She doesn't so I lift her chin up and stare in her eyes. "It's okay. It doesn't bother me. Please don't worry, Ana, accidents happen."

"But I should know better!" she cries and covers her face. "I'm nearly 28 for crying out loud! I'm so stupid."

"No, Ana, stop this." I pull her hands away from her face and pull her into me. I rub her arm and kiss her head. "Please, don't torture yourself like this, darling. I don't accept it. It's completely rational why you wet yourself. You just had a nightmare and you were trapped in a fire less than 24 hours ago. Please, baby, don't worry."

"I'm so sorry," she sniffs and I kiss her lips.

"It's okay, baby." I smile and kiss her again. "Please lighten up."

She nods but doesn't smile.

"Come, you're bound to be hungry."

I slide off the bed and help her out of it. She is wearing only a t-shirt and panties and they are both soaked. I look at the bed and see the mattress also soaked, along with my pajama bottoms.

Ana looks so glum. I lift her chin up and pull her lips to mine in a sweet kiss. She responds back but is too upset to get wound up by it.

I pull away and sigh. "Let's go and get you cleaned up. Then we'll eat, okay?"

She nods and I pull her into our en suite.

As I turn on the shower, Ana asks, "What time is it?"

"Around ten." I look at her and she's standing, looking miserably off into space and pouting. I frown. "Don't pout – you look too adorable when you pout." She bites her lip instead and I give her a dark stare, laughing. "Don't bite your lip either." She lets her bottom lip go and gasps. "C'mon, Ana, please lighten up. Wetting yourself isn't that bad."

"Yes, it is!" she cries, waving her hand in the air. "It's so embarrassing!"

"Ana, I've done worse," I say in hopes to make her feel better.

"Really?" There's surprise in her voice. "What could possibly be worse than that?"

"Yes, really." I chuckle at the memories. "After nightmares, I've wet myself, plenty of times. And then there's the erotic dreams about you that make me come in my sleep."

Ana giggles and her face lights up instantly. _Phew, it worked!_

"I shouldn't laugh but it's funny when that happens. Your reaction is hilarious."

I roll my eyes and undress myself. She is staring with hungry eyes at my chest as I take her shirt and panties off, along with my pajama bottoms. They all drop to the floor in a wet, messy pile. Boy, are they soaked.

"See something you like?" I ask knowingly and raise my eyebrows. Ana bites her lip and smiles up at me. I narrow my eyes at her and help her into the shower.

The water soothes Ana and her sullen mood ebbs away. She hums, relaxed as I massage shower gel into her skin. I move onto washing her hair, running my fingers through her scalp and fine locks. It's nice to relax in the sh0wer with her after such a traumatic event. I love making Ana relax, too. It relaxes me.

After the soothing shower, I fix her some pasta and she gladly takes it. In fact, she eats the whole bowl and I raise my eyebrows at her. It's even a bigger serving than mine, seeing as I ate not so long ago.

"Wow, you were really hungry," I breathe and smile at her. She grins back, licking sauce of her lips. "It's good to see."

She sucks her index finger and I quickly take her hand and suck each finger, tasting the sauce. She giggles and then gasps when I bite her little finger.

Once I finish, I clear our plates and hold her hand up to our bedroom. We brush our teeth again and begin changing the sheets and doona cover. Fortunately her urine didn't soak right through the mattress protector. I visit the washing machine and come back with fresh sheets. Once on, we both crawl into bed.

"How are you feeling?" I ask once we're tucked in.

She shrugs. "Fine now. Quite relaxed actually. Thank you."

I smile and stroke her hair. "I'm glad. And you're welcome."

"I'm sorry I scared you."

I kiss her head. "I'm just overprotective, you know that."

"I do," she sighs but smiles.

"Hey, you'll want to call Kate soon."

She groans. "How did she find out?"

"Baby, you're all over the news."

"Oh, no," she moans and I kiss her. "Great. Ugh, I'll talk to her tomorrow."

"Don't worry, Ana, you won't be the center of attention for long."

"I know, it just bothers me."

I grimace at her, wondering if I should tell her something I know she'll argue on.

"What is it?" she wonders cautiously.

I sigh and take her hand.

"I want you to stay home for the rest of the week," I say, hoping she'll obey me.

She sighs but shrugs. "It's not like I can go to work now, anyway. I'll just do some work at home, all good."

I shake my head and she frowns.

"I want you to rest, Ana," I stress. "Please, you can go back to work next week."

She huffs and throws her free hand up in the air.

"You can't keep me in here for four more days without something to do," she argues, frowning at me. "I'll be restless and frankly, bored."

"I'm sorry, Ana, but I don't want you to stress." I squeeze her hand and kiss it as she scowls at me. "You've just been in a fire, you need rest."

"No, I don't. I'm fine."

"Ana, please," I beg. "It's just a few days."

She grumbles and snatches her hand out of mine.

I huff and run my hands through my hair. "Ana, do you know how many hours you've slept for today?"

She looks momentarily confused as she thinks about it.

"About nine hours straight. No bathroom breaks." I shake my head in disbelief. "You worried me all that time. But clearly you need the rest. You're exhausted, baby."

She sighs but nods in understanding. I take her hand again and kiss it.

"Fine," she sighs again. "If it makes you happy, I'll stay."

"Thank you," I breathe in relief and kiss her on the lips. "It does make me happy. I only want you safe, Ana, you know that."

"I know." She smiles and kisses me back and we are soon lost in each other, making sweet, gentle love.


	17. Chapter 17 - Big News!

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **Big News**

 **Friday, 1st September 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

Today has been as uneventful as the last because I've had to stay home, not doing any work. Ted has been at kinder and Christian at work so I am left, mostly on my own, reading, watching TV, and getting some fresh air outside. It's rather relaxing actually. And at least I get to play with Phoebe and the dogs and cats.

They've all enjoyed my attention yesterday and today and I wish to spend most of my time with them. Phoebe has been playing with her new toys she got for her birthday and I am more than happy to play them with her. She got some new dolls, Duplo Lego, building blocks and coloring books.

Throughout the day we have played with all of them and are currently coloring a castle. She is absolutely engrossed in what she is doing, also bossing me around, telling me what colors to use and where to use them. I can't help but smile and be happy. She loves control almost as much as Christian does.

Ted is more like Christian, though, with control and being clean and neat. They look like each other with their bright grey eyes and copper colored hair and they both play the piano. And now Ted seems to love kinder as much as Christian loves his work. Like father like son, I say.

"No, ponk was supposed to go here," Phoebe castigates me and I can't help but laugh. "The door is going to be boo." Smiling, I erase the pink off and pick up the blue pencil.

"Sorry, Bumblebee," I apologize and kiss her cheek. "It's hard to keep up –I don't color as well as you do."

She smiles brightly at me and continues coloring the princess. After finishing the door, I color the dragon with red pencil and she eventually joins me with purple. Interesting choice, purple, red and green but not bad. Phoebe really was talented at coloring and drawing for that matter, at her age. She was good at coloring in the lines whereas most weren't. She was also not a bad drawer for 3 year old, creating cute animals and people of what a 5 year old can do. I love all of her artworks and have a few hanging in the walls of the library where my office is. Unfortunately her other ones that were at work are now lost to the fire. But she doesn't mind making more.

It's now 2:32pm and it's been a rather pleasant day despite I can't go anywhere. Phoebe and I have spent lunch out in the meadow and played fetch with the dogs afterwards.

Yesterday I had to speak with Kate, Jose, Ray and mom, and it took ages for them to calm down. Christian is right – the tragic event that had occurred on Wednesday is all over the news, especially me seeing as I had been the one stuck in there. I hate being in the spotlight but there isn't much I can do about it.

After spending time with Phoebe, I leave her to play and fetch a banana to eat. It feels strange to eat more than I usually do but it of course makes Christian happy. It takes a while to calm Christian down whenever I throw up, though I manage. It's normal to be this sick when you're pregnant, but this has been the worst out of all the pregnancies I've had.

I remember when I found out I was pregnant on the 20th of June, and everyone's reaction. It puts a smile to my face.

 **~Flashback~**

After using the bathroom, I check myself out in the mirror as I wash my hands. God, I look messy. My hair is tousled and there are dark circles under my eyes. I brush my hair and noticing a headache, I open the medicine cabinet for some Advil. Once taken, I put the box back on its shelf and my eyes rest on the box resting next to it. I blink.

No…fuck no… _No, Mrs. Grey, you're being crazy,_ my subconscious scolds me, tapping her foot. _Don't even think about it._

But I can't help it. Perhaps I _am_ crazy. I stare at the box, bite my lip and contemplate. I blink a few more times but my wild thoughts don't calm down. The box stares shrewdly back at me, daring me to use what's inside it.

Nope, no, definitely not!

I shut the cabinet door and rush out. I find myself back in the bathroom shortly later. No. Stop. You're being silly. Shaking my head, I go downstairs for a glass of water. My mind is much too restless. I go back up to the bathroom and once more find myself staring back at the box. I groan, and start pacing.

Fuck…this can't happen…can it? I've been taking the pill and shots…how can I be? All the signs of the past two weeks flash through my mind; strange appetite…nightmares…sleeping longer than usual…crying…stomach upsets… But how can I be? No, I'm certain I haven't missed one pill…

My head is in my hands and I groan.

"This is ridiculous," I breathe, shaking my head. "I am crazy," I say into the mirror and my subconscious nods back at me. Meanwhile, my inner Goddess is jumping up and down with excitement and urging me to take it. _Take the test, take the test_ , _take the test,_ runs through my mind as I stand stock still in front of the mirror.

"I am out of my mind," I laugh, but fetch the pregnancy test box anyway. It takes me forever to take it out of the box, placing it down several times, let alone using it. I can't…I can't do this…I'm crazy thinking about it.

What if I actually am pregnant, though? My heart flutters and a warm shudder spreads through me.

Reluctantly, I take the test out of the box and shut the en suite door. I walk slowly back to the toilet and give the test a look. _Why are you making me doubt myself?_ Christian will flip when I tell him. And I don't know whether his reaction will be a good one or a bad one. _Oh, please…_

Biting my lip in anxiety, I pee on the stick and then wait for the result to show. I realize I am rocking back and forth on my heels to calm myself. A memory flashes when Kate told me the news of wanting another child before she had Jacob and then asking me if I want another in return. Every time, I tell her I'm not sure.

The pregnancy test finally appears and my heart sinks and then picks up again, fast. No…it's gotta be wrong.

A little while later, when my bladder fills up again, I take another which gives me the same result. I repeat the action, and the line is darker on the third one. Two tests have two parallel lines and says that if you get two lines you are pregnant. The other is the same, but in a cross. On each test, the lines are darker and vibrant. The first one is a little dull, but you can see a second line.

"Shit," I curse and walk over to the bed. I slump down on it and blink at the tests. Those two little red lines on each test stare right back at me, clearly saying, 'Positive.'

"Shit, shit, shit."

How did this happen? I'm positive I've been taking all my pills. How have I slipped? Fuck. Christian will flip out when he comes home to the news. Good or bad? Jesus Christ, I am doomed. Or will I be?

I groan and hop up to check myself out in the long-length mirror. When I lift up my t-shirt, I gasp. Clearly, there is a slight bump, telling me there's someone inside me, waiting to come out in the world in the next nine months. Holy cow…

How in the world do I only notice it _now_?

I have another Little Blip inside me. I grin as I caress my stomach holding a new Little Blip. But it isn't a mistake, just like Ted and Phoebe aren't. Christian had been so happy to welcome them into the world with me; I just hope to death that he'll accept this one, too.

I laugh as I rub my belly, excited for this new child to come into our lives. If I could see a bump, how many weeks pregnant am I? I notice I am crying, tears of joy streaming down my face. I sniff and wipe my tears away.

Downstairs, I hear the door open and close, causing me to jump. I gasp.

 _They're home!_

No, it was much too early. I'm not ready…

I check the time and notice it's 3:21pm. Jeez, where did the time go?

"Mom, we're home!" Ted yells out in excitement and comes bounding up the stairs. He sees me sitting on the edge of my bed and runs up me and gives me a hug. I hug him back and kiss his head.

"Hey, how was your day, little monkey?" Then I take in his clothing and face – it's covered in paint. I frown. "Why are you covered in paint?"

Ted grins and launches into a story of him playing with his friends at kindergarten, the things he did, the teachers and the funny incident that happened in art – apparently some boys had a paint fight and Ted joined in. Ah, typical. No wonder he's covered in paint. I sigh and shake my head.

"What's that, Mommy?" he asks when he notices the pregnancy test sticks in my hand.

"Oh, it's nothing." I smile and kiss his head. To distract him, I laugh at the sight of him – he is a mess! "You really need to clean up. Time for a bath, I think."

He giggles and says, "Okay, but I can do it myself!"

"Alright, but be careful!" I yell after him. "I don't want you slipping."

I let him go because I've seen him set up a bath and get in and out by himself without trouble. I do like adult supervision so I call Mrs. Jones to watch and help him if he needs it. She agrees and walks out just as Christian walks into the room. I can always hear him playing in the bath, though. We leave the bathroom door open and he is very loud.

 _Shit!_

Hastily, I hide the three pregnancy tests under my pillow and smile up at him as he strolls casually towards me.

Instantly, his face brightens up when he sees me. He smiles and kisses me, long and hard, on my lips.

"Good afternoon, Anastasia," he croons, his voice low and seductive. It sends desire through me. He sits down next to me. "Did you have a nice day?"

"I did, actually, despite not having much to do." I smile, recalling my day in my head. "Phoebe was really happy to spend time with me."

"I'm glad." He grins, his eyes crinkling and takes my hand.

Should I tell him? No…not yet…

"How was your day?" I ask in way of distraction.

He nods and shrugs. "Good, good. As work goes, of course. Got quite a lot done, actually. But my favourite part is coming home to you."

He nuzzles his nose into my hair and kisses me. I smile up at him and he caresses my cheek.

"How have you been?" He suddenly looks anxious, studying my face. "You've been crying," he notices in a panic.

"What? No, I'm fine," I say, smiling. I feel awkward because I'm really nervous. I squeeze his hand. "Very happy, actually."

And worried. Very worried.

Christian senses my tension.

"What is it, Ana?"

I shrug and shake my head.

"Ana?" he urges. "Are you okay?"

I shrug again, looking down. How can I explain this to him? I don't really want to but know I have to. How will he react? Christian sighs and lifts my chin up to look into my eyes.

"Tell me, Anastasia, please."

"I…I can't," I whisper, averting my gaze from his probing eyes. "You…you're going to freak out."

"Ana, just tell me." His eyes suddenly darken. "Are you biting your lower lip deliberately?"

Shit…

"Oh." I undo my teeth from my lip and grimace up at him. My heart is beating fast and my lips are dry. I lick them wet.

"Ana, you're worrying me," he urges through now gritted teeth. His face is full of concern. "Please, tell me."

"It's nothing, really." I shrug again, not knowing what else to say.

"Nothing?" he scoffs. "No, it's not nothing. You've been acting so strange for the past week, Ana. And you were crying just before, your eyes are wet and red. What the hell is going on?"

I take a deep breath and close my eyes.

"I don't know how to explain…"

"You can do it, Ana. Just say something," he breathes, squeezing my hand. I cringe, keeping my eyes closed and take another deep breath.

"No, no, I can't." My voice is shaky. I start crying and I furiously wipe my tears away. Christian panics.

"Baby," he breathes, stroking my cheek. "Why are you crying? Is it that bad?"

"I…I don't know how you'll react," I sniff and he rubs my back to soothe me. "You'll be mad."

"Please, Ana," he pleads, looking deeply into my eyes. "I really want to know. I promise I won't be mad."

I stare at him for a while, contemplating. Should I…? I close my eyes again.

"Ana…?"

"I'm pregnant," I blurt out.

He tenses and it persuades me to open my eyes to peek at him. His face has lost its color from shock, perhaps, and he is staring blankly at me.

"W-what?" he stutters, completely bewildered.

"I'm pregnant, Christian," I breathe, my forehead creasing as I watch him. He looks so lost.

"Preg…nant," he whispers, testing out the word. He blinks and comes back to me. He gazes at me in surprise. "Pregnant?" He frowns and runs a hand through his hair.

"Yes," I whisper and duck my head. "I…I may have forgotten to take a pill or two. I don't know. But it's why I've been so sick and eating more than usual. Why I've been crying so much, especially when we make love. Recently, I had a headache and took some Advil. And then I saw the test box. It took me ages to decide to take it. I thought I was crazy for thinking about taking it…" I stop and look at Christian.

He doesn't say anything, just stares at me.

"I took three…just in case," I murmur, gnawing my lip. "Why we had three in there, I have no clue. Perhaps Mrs. Jones bought them or something."

Still, he acts like a statue.

I sigh, take each test out from under my pillow and hand them to him. Christian looks down at them, studying for a while. Fear grips my heart – I don't think this is a good reaction at all. He keeps staring at them, his face impassive.

"Say something, please," I whisper shakily. _You're scaring me…_

And just as I think he'll yell at me and walk out on me, ever so slowly, his face lights up, color fills his cheeks and he smiles his bright boyish smile. He glances up at me and back to the tests several times before landing and resting on me.

"I'm going to be a father of three," he breathes and pulls me into a deep kiss. I respond with a moan and he trails kisses down my jaw and my neck, nipping softly. He looks back up at me in a flash, smiling with love and clear joy. "Oh my God. Oh my God. I'm going to be a father of three! We're having another little one. Oh my God."

He looks absolutely elated and surprised. My heart melts and I softly begin to cry again. He likes this news. He actually really likes it.

"Ana, baby," he croons and kisses my forehead. "Shh, don't cry, darling, don't cry. This is good news. Really good news."

"It is?" I sob as he pulls me into him so I rest my head on his chest. "You're happy? I thought you'd hate it."

"No, Ana, baby, no," he says, shocked that I would think that. "Look, I understand why you may think that. I was so horrible to you with the news of Ted. But I was so happy afterwards. I was happy to share something with you and the rest of the world. And Phoebe came along and I realized that I _can_ be a father. Be the father you always knew I would be. You and the kids have taught me a great deal. So yes, I am happy, Ana. More than."

I laugh through sobs and he clutches me tighter, softly kissing my head.

"I cannot believe it!" he breathes, excited. "We're going to be parents of yet another child. I love you so much."

"We are," I breathe and sniff. "Oh, Christian…" I continue to weep and he strokes my hair. I am so elated.

"Ana, shh, I love that you're pregnant again," he says to try and soothe me. He kisses my head and lips once more. "I am so happy. I couldn't be any luckier."

I smile and cuddle him.

"I know…I'm just so emotional," I sob and then laugh. "I'm so happy, Christian!"

"Oh, baby," he breathes in a low tone. "I'm happy, too, more than you'll ever know." He takes me with his mouth and I succumb to him. "God, I love you. I never expected to come home to this news. I have a boring and partly frustrating day and I come home to meet this. This is…wow. " He chuckles and suddenly picks me up and spins me around the room. I squeal and he laughs as he puts me down. "I am such a lucky man. Thank you, Ana. Again."

I smile up at him, as more tears prick my eyes and roll down. He strokes my cheek softly and then suddenly walks over to our bedroom door and closes it, locking it. Then he walks over to the radio sitting on the dresser. He switches it on and chooses a song. Frank Sinatra's 'Witchcraft' fills the room and I grin with utter delight. This is our favourite song to dance to.

Christian slowly saunters over to me, swaying his hips to the music and clicking his fingers, looking oh-so-sexy. I giggle. He can be so much fun. He beams and pulls me into a dancing stance, wrapping one arm around my waist and holding my hand with his other.

"Dance with me," he pleads and I nod willingly. Smiling the whole time, we set off into a graceful and peaceful dance, moving around the big space in our bedroom.

"There is no greater witch than you," Christian croons in time with Frank's singing. I smile up at him and sing along. He grins wide as I do. We are both grinning from ear to ear, spinning around the room.

When the song closes to an end, I am laughing uncontrollably and I have to sit back down on the bed so I don't fall. Christian turns off the radio and is grinning down at me with a quizzical but amused expression.

"What's so funny?" he chuckles.

I shake my head and shrug, throwing my hands up in a gesture that I have no idea.

"I'm just so happy," I say through giggles. "And so…I feel crazy."

He laughs and bends down to kiss me. I kiss him back and melt.

"You are one crazy woman," he says softly into my ear. I shudder. " _My_ crazy woman." He takes my hand and pulls me up to a standing position and then pulls my shirt upwards by the hem, just revealing my belly. His eyes sparkle with utter delight as he studies my stomach which is now a small bump. He smiles warmly and touches his hand to it, caressing it. More tears fall from my eyes at this sight.

"I can't believe I didn't notice this before," he whispers in utter surprise. "This is amazing." He looks up at me and kisses me again. "I can't wait till you're a few weeks, so we can get you an ultrasound."

I nod frantically with joy. I am so happy. I cannot believe this is happening. God, a relief to see him so happy. It is awe-inspiring.

"What do you think this little one will be?" he whispers, cocking his head in curiosity.

I frown. "What…?"

He chuckles. "A boy? A girl?"

"Oh!" I touch my stomach automatically and he takes his hand off my belly and over my hands. It's such a wonderful sight to see. I gasp at the rush of pleasure and happiness it gives me. "I really don't know…"

"Well, I have a hunch that it's another boy," he says, gazing at me intently. I laugh.

"Perhaps it is." I grin and he kisses me again. He can't stop kissing me and it's wonderful. He is actually so happy. I cannot believe this. I was so worried before, that he wouldn't want another child. Yet, he is absolutely amazed and happy.

Christian is studying me when I come out of my thoughts.

"You must stop crying, baby," he chuckles and kisses my lips again. "It's making me want to cry. And I hardly ever do that."

Taking a deep breath, I laugh, sniff, and wipe my tears away.

"Sorry, I'm just so happy, so amazed," I whisper and he strokes my face with his free hand, smiling.

"I am, too, baby." He showers my face with kisses and I can't help but giggle. "More than you know." Suddenly, he bends down in front of me and presses delicate kisses to my stomach.

 _Oh, my…_

I detonate with more tears right there. I cannot stop crying or smiling or laughing.

Christian caresses my stomach with his hands and lips and peers up at me. He smiles warmly.

"Baby," he sighs and kisses me again. "You're crying again. If you keep doing that, I will, too." Laughing, I wipe my tears away yet again. "That's better." He laughs and shakes his head. "I'm just glad you're happy." Then he resumes trailing kisses over my belly and he heads south. Oh…I know where this is going…

He undoes my jeans and pulls them down, and I step out of them. He presses kisses to my pubic bone, sending desire throughout my body before he pulls my panties down and I step out of them. He picks them up and smiles at me mischievously as he sniffs them. He closes his eyes briefly in pure pleasure at my scent. I nearly convulse right there. Then he chucks my panties away with my jeans and bends forward.

"Ah!" I cry out in utter pleasure when Christian uses his lips and tongue, licking and sucking between my thighs. It's astoundingly amazing. His face is one of pure pleasure. He grasps my legs to hold me steady and full on French kisses me down there. I moan and feel myself climbing higher and higher.

Christian then flicks his tongue over my clitoris repetitively and I scream at the sensations. It's so much more sensitive than usual. Perhaps from all my crying, it feels that way. I am sliding my hands through his hair to hold onto something, and when he licks faster over my clitoris, I tug tufts. He growls and increases his speed even more. He just does not stop. And I feel myself tighten up and start to shake…

"Ah, Christian!" I cry as my orgasm takes hold and I let go for him. Christian is looking up at me with complete joy and fascination when I open my eyes. He kisses me down there once more and stands up.

"You. Are. So. Amazing," Christian whispers, each word a staccato. I see his lips are shining with a trace of my arousal and it makes me blush. He pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me and kisses me with so much passion that I am spent with so much love pulsing through us. "You. Are. Beautiful." He kisses along my jawline over to my ear where he tugs my earlobe with his teeth. I gasp and shudder. "You. Are. Mine."

"Arms up," Christian orders and I obey. He grasps the hem of my t-shirt and pulls it up and over my head. I am naked, standing in front of him. He gazes at me with pure joy and his eyes roam up and down my body. "You are a delight to see, Mrs. Grey."

"You next," I whisper, still breathless from my recent orgasm. He chuckles and lets me take off his jacket, tie and unbutton his shirt. I chuck them away and gaze at his bare chest, complete with abs and chest hair. He looks so gloriously yummy. I peer up at him for permission and he smiles, nodding. I bend forward and trail kisses all over his chest and am rewarded with his gasps and moans of pleasure. I increase his pleasure by sucking on his nipples and he chuckles.

"That tickles," he breathes and takes my face with his hand and kisses me. I pull away shortly and he pouts. I grin.

"Pants," I order and he rolls his eyes, grinning from ear to ear. I unzip and unbutton his grey work pants and pull them right down, bending down as I do. Christian steps out of them and I peer up at him as I grasp his boxers. He is gazing at me intently, knowing what I will do and silently begging me to go forth with it. I smile and slide his boxers down, freeing his erection.

Whoa, is he big.

He steps out of his boxers and I chuck his clothes away with mine. I shift closer to him in a kneeling position and slowly stroke him once with my tongue, watching him. His mouth goes slack and he gasps. His eyes widen and darken when I do it again.

On the third stroke, I keep going and do not stop. It's almost like licking a lollipop or ice-cream and I like it, a lot. Christian seems to, as well. He is clutching my head, and won't stop grunting with pleasure. So I take him in, right to the back of my throat and he groans louder.

"Fuck, Ana," he breathes, massaging my head. "Steady, baby."

I suck him harder and flick my tongue over his head, tasting the pre-cum that forms there. I keep sucking, moving my head backwards and forwards in quick succession, hearing his moans and growls and panting.

"Ana," he groans. "I'm going to come…"

 _Come, then,_ I silently dare him and suck him even harder while stroking his balls. I feel him stiffen and elongate and I know he is very close. So I do not stop. I won't stop till he comes. Tighter and tighter he grows. Still, he seems to be holding on.

I unsheathe my teeth and bite down softly while I suck and he growls.

"Oh, Ana!" he cries and comes into me, shooting semen down my throat. I swallow it all and lick him clean before letting go of him. I peer up at him, licking my lips. He is gazing down at me with so much love and vulnerability that my heart melts with joy.

He bends down and lifts me up then walks me over to the bed. I fall onto the mattress and he hovers over me, hungrily, searching for my mouth. He is on a mission. He takes my mouth and thrusts his tongue in, demanding entry, tasting my mouth and tongue. I slide mine into his mouth and he groans.

Hot desire pools into my stomach and I hitch my leg over his hip. He growls and pushes the length of him into me. I can feel his erection on my hip and I moan.

I want him. I want him _now._

"Christian," I plead, and knowing what I want, he takes no detours.

He centers himself over me and slides into me, groaning as he does. I cry out at the familiar pleasure of him inside me. Slowly, he pushes in and out, swallowing my cries with his mouth. He softly bites down on my lower lip and I can't help my shuddering moan.

"You. Are. Mine," Christian breathes on each thrust. "I. Want. You. So. Much. You Are. Mine. I. Love. You."

Each word is like a separate arrow to my heart, sending warmth throughout me and I gasp and moan at the pleasure his words bring.

"Come for me, baby," he pleads. "Give me everything."

And I do, loudly and gloriously around him. I cry out his name as I come and I am all pleasure and sensation. He growls and after three more thrusts he comes, pouring himself into me, kissing me as he does.

"Ana!" he groans and it almost sounds like a cry. He kisses me again as if his life depends on it. As though he can lose me at any moment and needs to make the best of this moment. It's heartbreaking to think that.

"God, I love you," he pants after we've calmed down.

Gently, he pulls out of me and lies down beside me, still holding onto my hand. He pulls me onto him and I willingly crawl onto his chest and lay there. He kisses my head and nuzzles his face in my hair, inhaling.

"You smell so sweet, Ana."

I smile up at him. "So do you," I breathe and plant a kiss to his chest. "I love you, too."

He kisses my lips again and smiles warmly down at me. There is so much joy and love in his eyes and it reflects my own.

I lay back down on his chest and we silently lie there for a while, enjoying each other's time. A thought comes to me.

"We'll have to tell Ted and Phoebe they're going to have a new sibling," I breathe and he squeezes my hand. "We'll also have to buy new clothes and furniture for this little one." I clutch my stomach as I say this and smile. He kisses my head and places his hand on mine, holding me and our new child.

"We'll get all that sorted out once you know the gender," Christian whispers and there's joy and wonder in his voice. "It'll be exciting to welcome another one into our world."

"Yes, it will be." I hold his hand and he squeezes mine. "I am so happy."

"Me, too, baby," he breathes and chuckles. "Me too."

After dinner, we are all sitting at the dining table, Christian by my side, holding my hand. Ted and Phoebe are seated opposite us, looking at us quizzically.

"We have some news," I whisper and smile up at Christian. Christian smiles back at me.

"What news?" Ted asks, excitement in his voice. Phoebe just cocks her head in confusion and curiosity, looking adorable.

"We are having a baby," I say and smile at them.

Ted blinks and looks at me to Christian to me to his dad again. He grins wide and jumps off his chair in excitement.

"Really?"

"Yes," I giggle.

"Yes!" he squeals. "I'm going to have another sibling!"

Phoebe is giggling along and jumping up and down in her own excitement.

Teddy suddenly halts his cheering. "Wait, will it be a girl or boy?"

"We're not sure yet," I say, smiling. "But I'm going to have a test in a few months that tells me what gender it is."

"That's so cool!" Ted exclaims and he is jumping up and down. "I can't wait. I want it to be a boy."

I laugh, because I thought he would want a boy. Phoebe will probably want a girl.

Christian is smirking in amusement at them.

"Phoebe, what do you want it to be?" he asks her and she cocks her head at him.

"What?"

"Your new sibling," I say in way of explanation.

Phoebe points to herself and then to Ted in question.

Christian and I both laugh.

"No, Ted is already your sibling. He is a boy," Christian tells her, trying to get her to understand. "Your new sibling is in your Mom's belly."

"Oh…" She giggles and looks at me, studying my belly. I laugh and pat my stomach in response. "Oh okay!"

Christian and I laugh at her expression. Mrs. Jones is in the kitchen wiping down the bench and I see a bright smile on her face. Everyone is just so happy today.

"I want a girl," Phoebe says, throwing her hands up in the air.

"But I want a boy," Ted argues, pouting.

"Girl!" Phoebe says angrily at him, stamping her foot.

"Boy!" Ted shouts back.

"Guys!" Christian yells and they both stop. He shakes his head. "Don't argue. Look, it will be whatever gender it will be and we can't choose what we want. It could be a boy or it could be a girl. We won't know until your Mom has the test. Now, I don't want you guys being upset when it's the gender you didn't want."

"Fine," they both grumble.

"Anyway, are you guys happy about your new sibling?" Christian asks them and they both light up and grin. Ted begins dancing again and Phoebe copies him, clapping.

"Yes!" Ted squeals and Christian gives me a bright smile that says, _"See, it wasn't that bad. Told you not to worry."_ I roll my eyes at him but smile, too and laugh. I am so happy. Everyone is, even Mrs. Jones and Taylor who happen to be watching.

"Congratulations," Taylor and Mrs. Jones both say to us and we smile at them.

"Thank you very much," Christian tells them, squeezing my hand. "We couldn't be any happier."

oOoOoOo

After we put the kids to bed, I start calling people. Mom is absolutely shocked and excited when I tell her the news. She is actually crying.

"Mom," I whine, because I am crying, too. "You're making me cry. I've cried so much today already.

"Oh, sweetheart," she croons. "I am so happy for you. Gosh, I am going to be a grandma of yet another child!"

I laugh. "Yes, you are. Thank you, Momma. I am happy, too."

"Oh, honey, I'll definitely have to visit now. I'm just not sure I have enough…"

"Mom, I'll lone you some, it'll be fine."

"No, don't do that," she scolds. She laughs. "I think I can work something out."

"Mom, please," I beg, sounding whiny. "You hardly ever come to visit. We'll pay for your ticket. Please."

"Honey…"

"No, Mom, don't argue. It's just one ticket. Besides, I'm like rich. I still can't believe that."

She laughs, sounding bubbly. "I know, it would take a lot to get used to." She sighs. "Oh, I'm happy for you, darling."

I sniff, wiping away my tears. "Thank you, Mom. I am, too. And I'm paying for your ticket, okay? No arguments."

She sighs but laughs. "Oh, alright then. It shouldn't hurt. I'll start packing today and leave first thing tomorrow, okay?"

"Yes, thank you." I smile brightly at the thought of her coming here so soon. "Oh, I can't wait to see you again. This day has made me so happy."

"I'm happy for you, baby," she whispers. "I love you, Ana."

"I love you, too, Mom."

We hang up and I am smiling with glee. I've already told Ray and he was shocked but happy for me. Now I have to tell Kate and Jose. Christian is telling his parents and he'll also tell Mia. He isn't going to call Elliot, though, because once he does, Elliot will tell Kate and Christian knows I want to hear her reaction firsthand. So I dial her number first and wait anxiously.

"Ana!" she squeals. "Oh, how are you? Are you okay?"

"Yes, Kate, I'm fine," I laugh. "No one's hurt or anything."

"Oh, thank God, I thought you had called to tell me bad news." She sounds relieved.

"Actually, Kate, I've called to share you some good news." I grin when I hear her squeal of delight.

"Ooh, what is it?"

"Guess," I challenge and she sighs.

"I have no clue, Ana. It could be anything."

"I know. Just try."

"Oh, fine." There's a pause. "Are you getting a new pet?"

I giggle. "No."

"Right, you already have a million of them." She laughs and sighs. "Um…oh, Christian is taking you and the family on a trip somewhere for your birthday?"

"No," I giggle, though the idea sounds nice. "Keep going…"

"Ugh, I don't know!" she whines. She gasps. "Are you and Christian having another wedding?"

I laugh and don't stop laughing for a while. "No, no, though that does sound alright."

"Oh, Ana, you're killing me here," she complains. "Just tell me already."

"No chance." I am grinning from ear to ear, enjoying this game.

"Please, Ana?"

"Okay, a hint. I took a test for this surprise."

There's another pause. "Hmm, is this something to do with work?"

"Noooo," I giggle. She groans. "C'mon, Kate!"

Then there's an even longer pause. She gasps.

"Ana…you're not…?" She gasps and squeals. "Oh, my God, you are! How? When? That is so weird. We talked about it not so long ago. Oh, my God! I jinxed it. You're pregnant!"

"Jackpot! Ding, ding, ding, ding!" I can't help shouting and she laughs. I am giggling and smiling so brightly my face is starting to hurt. "It was quite a surprise for me, too."

"Oh, Ana! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she scolds me.

"Hey, I only took the test today," I admit. She giggles. "I had to tell Christian and my kids first."

"Wow, Ana," she sings and I giggle. "This is something. Oh! How did Christian react?"

"He was thrilled," I squeal, delighted. "I was so surprised. I thought he wouldn't want another child. But he was so excited that he asked me to dance with him."

"Aww, Ana," Kate croons with excitement. "See? I told you he'd be happy. He's so happy to have Ted and Phoebe. I knew he'd be happy for this."

"I know, I know, but I still wasn't sure."

"Oh, you must stop doubting everything," she scolds then she squeals. "Oh, I'll have to tell Elliot! Elliot!" she calls in the background. I hear him say something to her as he comes closer. "Guess what?" Kate asks him. He asks, "What?" "Ana is pregnant!" she squeals and Elliot starts shouting, "What!" in shock. "Geez, another one." He laughs, then talks directly into the phone.

"Hey, congratulations, Ana!" He sounds excited.

"Thank you!" I squeal.

"Tell my baby bro congrats, too, for me."

"Will do," I giggle. "Thanks."

"Is it a boy or girl?" he asks.

"I only just took the test today, Elliot!" I laugh. "I need to wait a few months before I can have a gender reveal."

"Wow, jeez, okay." He chuckles as Kate starts scolding him. "Hey, I better go. Kate is yelling at me."

I giggle. "Okay, bye, Elliot."

There's a shuffle of the phone being passed over.

"God, he can be annoying," Kate breathes.

"Yes, guys can definitely be," I agree, laughing.

"Well, I better go, too. Jacob is crying and Elliot is helping Ava with something so he can't help Jake," she says but she sounds excited. "I am so happy for you, Ana! Congrats."

"Thank you, so much. Before you go, how are Ava and Jake doing?"

"Oh, they're a bundle of joy!" she squeals and I can hear her bright smile. "I love them so much."

"I'm glad you are happy."

"I'm glad you are! My best friend and sister-in-law is pregnant yet again." She giggles and then sighs. "I really must go now. Kids can be demanding."

"They can. Love you, Kate. Cya!"

"Love you, too, Ana. Bye!"

We hang up. I call Jose and he freaks out as well, but is also happy for me. I laugh some more – God, I can't stop laughing – and hang up.

oOoOoOo

Exhausted from all the emotions of the day, I sigh and flop down onto the master bed. I close my eyes, demanding peace. I don't know how long I'm there before Christian walks in and chuckles when he sees me. I feel the bed sink as he lies down next to me. He kisses my shoulder and shakes me awake. I groan and move my head into the pillow. He chuckles again.

"Exhausted, baby?"

"Hmm."

"I bet you are – pregnancies can do that."

"Hmm."

"You're not really coherent, are you?"

"Hmm."

He laughs and kisses me again.

"C'mon, Ana, roll over. You can't sleep like that," he scolds, picking me up and shifting me so I'm underneath the covers. I groan as he moves me – I don't feel like moving. "That's better." He kisses me on my lips. "Open your eyes," he whispers.

I open them and he is staring right at me, smiling with love and joy. I smile at him and he climbs under the covers with me. He takes my hand and kisses it.

"It's been a busy day, huh?"

"Yeah," I sigh sleepily and laugh softly.

Christian looks amused. "You're exhausted." He kisses my forehead and wraps his arms around me. "Sleep, Ana."

I close my eyes and drift off.

There is so much more to come, so many more surprises…

 **~End of Flashback~**


	18. Chapter 18 - Captured

**A/N:** **Eeesh! Captured? That's not good. Poor Ana is very unlucky. What will happen to her? Read to find out! ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen**

 **Captured**

 **Sunday, 3rd September 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

Today has been lethargic as the last. Christian and I spend time playing board games and Wii games with the kids and we spend lunchtime out in the meadow.

Later on, Christian unexpectedly has to go to the office because they are having some problems – annoying on a Sunday, but he says it's important. He apologizes to me and the kids and says he'll be back soon. He gives us each a kiss on the head, and leaves. To keep the kids happy, I drive them to Kate's house so they can play with Ava.

When I arrive home, to keep myself busy, I read and watch TV. Although rather boring, it's been quite a relaxing day. It's now afternoon, and I watch out the window of the library at the sun shining through and the trees blowing in the wind. Birds tweet their afternoon songs and fly around each other, playing a secret game of tag.

Unexpectedly my phone rings. Christian? The dial ID is an unknown number. Strange… I ignore it but it just keeps ringing. I pick it up on the fourth ring, unsure.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ana."

The voice sounds like a male's and horribly familiar…

"Um…I'm not sure who this is."

"Oh, you know exactly who this is." He chuckles and it sends a chill down my spine. "How are those wounds coming along? Healed yet?"

 _Oh my God. It's Grant Hampton!_

"Grant," I whisper, fear rising.

"Ah, so you do know who I am. Yes, I thought your lover would be trying to track me down." Another laugh. "How is your Publishing House? I heard one section had to be rebuilt…pretty nasty fire that was."

 _Fuck!_

"It was you!" I choke, outraged.

He chuckles. "Gladly so. One of my many skills."

"Why did you do it?"

"Well, for many reasons. Mainly to send you a warning."

"A warning?"

"A warning not to mess with us."

I scoff. "What do you want?" My voice is small although I try to sound firm.

"I want you to be very quiet, and listen to what I have to say," he says slowly, enunciating each word as though I'm a child.

Anger suddenly rises. "What makes you think I'd listen to you?" I sneer.

"Well, let me tell you and spare you the worry."

"Look, I have better things to do than listen to you," I huff, becoming impatient. "Good bye."

"Ah-uh, not so fast," he says with menacing authority, stopping me before I can hang up. "Listen to me and Christian and your children won't be harmed."

I gasp and my heart sinks. _No!_ I can't let them get hurt.

"What do you want?" I ask again, fear settling in place.

"I want you to meet me somewhere so we can have a little chat."

"Why can't we talk now?"

"Because there's someone else very willing to see you, too." He chuckles again. "He wants you. You do not want to mess with him."

"No, I don't need to listen to you," I say firmly. "Christian is very powerful, he could easily throw you in jail in a heartbeat."

Grant laughs as if it's not a big deal. "I am fully aware of that."

"Look, whatever you want, just spit it out before I call him and security," I hiss.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that I if were you, Ana," he says with more menace, and it's a clear warning. My heartbeat picks up. "Not unless you want to save Mrs. Trevelyan-Grey."

I almost collapse. _No! He has Grace Grey?! Oh, no…_

He chuckles. "Yes, silent finally. Now, you do exactly as I tell you and she won't be harmed. Got that?"

"Yes," I whisper but just barely.

"Good. Meet us at Kimpton Alexis Hotel. Tell and bring no one. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

I repeat a mantra in my head and decide to write the location down.

"Very well, then." He now sounds cheerful, triumphant. Well, what else can I do? "We shall see you there. And don't be too long – we haven't got all day. And my boss does not like to be kept waiting. I will be calling again in an hour."

 _His boss? Who is it?_

He hangs up and I follow shortly after in shock. I drop my phone onto my desk and stare into space, many thoughts buzzing through my mind. _Oh, no…_ Is Grace okay? _Oh, please, let her be alive!_

How am I going to escape from security? They will be so mad… _Oh, no, Christian!_ He'll be furious. But I can't just leave Grace there! It's the only way. If I call the Grey's house, just to make sure, they'd grow suspicious and start asking questions. They'd worry and send out a search party.

Trying to slow down my rapid breathing and pulse, I make a mental plan. I pick up my phone, purse and car keys, and then run into my room to grab a pair of running shoes. Easier to get to Grace on time. I check the clock and see that it's 2:24pm – plenty of time. I am lucky that Christian is at work and Ted and Phoebe are visiting Ava at Kate's house. I can't be any luckier.

I run into Christians' office and unlock his top draw. Just as I predicted, a handgun lays inside. I pick it up to check if it's loaded, and sure enough it's full. Taking a deep breath, I sheathe it into the waistband of my jeans and slip in a pocketknife in the back of my panties. Things like this will always come in handy.

I take another deep breath and run back downstairs to check the great room. It's completely empty, so is the area near the front door. Mrs. Jones, Taylor and Sawyer are nowhere to be seen. I assume they're in their offices or elsewhere in the house. Perfect.

Sudden dread washes over me; I hate doing this to them, especially Christian, but it's for a very good cause. I must save Grace. That is my only priority right now.

Sneaking up to the door, I check out the window to see the driveway empty. This went better than I thought. Strange… Perhaps Taylor and the others were very busy.

Slowly so it doesn't make much noise, I open the door, step outside, and softly close it. Before I know it, I am sprinting to my Audi r8 Spyder. I jump in and start the car, wincing when it revs its engine. Taylor and Sawyer probably hear that.

Sure enough, just as I'm pulling out of the driveway toward the gate, I see them run outside, shouting at me to come back, in my rear-view mirror. I ignore them but mouth a silent apology to them. I see them get into their own cars as I finish with the keypad and race out once the gates open. I speed down the streets and main roads, knowing they're following on my tail. When I hit the 1-5, I know I've definitely lost them when I don't spot them in my mirrors. I'm on my own.

The realization of what I've done dawns on me and tears well up in my eyes and brim over. I am sobbing almost uncontrollably as I reach closer to the hotel. I notice I have forgotten to take the note I wrote the certain hotel on, but I've committed it to memory. Right now, I can't care less. It will be a good clue for Christian and security. Hopefully they will spot it on my desk and come rescue Grace and I.

I hate hurting Christian. I know he'll be freaking out once he knows I escaped without security. Especially because I am pregnant.

 _Oh! My third Little Blip…_

I automatically touch my stomach and feel the bump move. I cannot wait to welcome my new little one into the world. I am so happy that Christian can't, either. Oh, no…he'll be so devastated. He'll think he's lost two parts of his world, not just one. It makes me cry harder.

What am I doing?

 _You're saving Grace,_ my subconscious urges me, shaking me out of my emotional reverie. _Focus, Ana!_

She is right.

I sniff, wipe my eyes, and manage not to cry the rest of the way there.

When I am a couple blocks away from the hotel, my phone rings. It startles me. I pull over next to a row of shops and I answer it very reluctantly.

"Hello?" My voice sounds croaky from all the crying. I clear my throat.

"Hello again, Ana," speaks the cunning voice of Grant Hampton. "Are you here yet?"

"Yes," I whisper, my voice incredibly small but calm.

"I realize that your stupid lover and his team could easily track your car and phone. So I'd be wise to park your car a few blocks away and leave your phone there. Got that?"

It's true, Christian has a habit of tracking me down to make sure I am safe, and I don't blame him.

"Yes."

"Good." He sounds surprised that I'm not putting up a fight. It's the only thing I can do to save Grace – obey him until I can. "Now, I also forgot to mention that our apartment is number 15, first floor. Got it?"

"Yes. Okay." I feel like a robot, but monosyllables are all I can manage.

"Good. I hope to see you very shortly, Anastasia."

He hangs up and I do the same, very quickly. I cry silently in the car for a few more minutes to get a hold of myself, and then I chuck my phone and purse in the glove box and lock it. As soon as I'm out of the car, I am running, sprinting to get to Grace.

After checking in with reception that I'm meeting someone here, I run up the steps, too impatient to use the elevator. I walk unwillingly towards apartment 15. The door is not only unlocked, but ajar. I push it open, very cautiously.

I am welcomed into a very vast, refined living room, with expensive-looking grey couches, a coffee table and a TV. A red rug lies underneath the couch and table, matching the red couch cushions. Ahead is a kitchen, rather elegant in its beauty and beside sits a small dining table with a vase of roses in the center. I glance around and spot Grace, lying on the ground against a brick wall next to the dining table. She is tied to the ground with rope around her wrists. It looks very painful. Her wrists are already red from what I can see at this distance. A cloth is tied around her head and in her mouth, gagging her.

I gasp and my only intention is to run across the room to her, ignoring her extreme look of surprise and shock. She must be so scared. I take the gag out of her mouth and she immediately starts talking.

"Ana! Oh my God, sweetheart, you're here," she cries, panic-stricken. "But…how…?"

"Shh," I cut her off, and stroke her face. I start to fumble with the rope tied to her wrists, struggling. "That's not important right now."

"Ana, no, you must go." She sounds very upset and frightened. "Please."

"Shh, Grace, I'm not going anywhere. Not until I get you out."

She lets out a small sob.

"Please. It's a trap. I know who's in charge of this group. You'd never guess, it's –"

Suddenly, there's a loud bang of a door opening and closing, cutting off Grace midsentence. I whip around and stand up to see a man standing in front of a door off to the side of the living room. He is tall and slim, wearing dirty, ragged clothing. His blonde, greasy hair flops over his eyes and looks like it hasn't been cut in days. He is sweaty, and I can smell it emanating from where I stand, along with the stench of alcohol and smoke. He holds a cigarette in one hand and a gun in the other.

He has a gun.

It's Jack Hyde.

oOoOoOo

"Jack," I gasp, and my voice sounds choked-off. My face is dead pale.

Fear and bile rises up in my throat at the same time as I watch him with caution. _Holy fuck…what's he been doing to Grace?_ She doesn't look harmed, but still… I do not trust him in the slightest.

Jack laughs and slowly saunters towards Grace and I.

"Yes, a bit of a surprise isn't it?"

I stare at him, not knowing what to say.

"Well, well, well," he croons, smirking. "If it isn't the beautiful, gold-digging, bitch-face Anastasia. Yes, took me awhile to track you down, but I eventually got Grant to do it. He's quite fond of you, you know. Wants to have a little fun with you, too."

 _Fun? What does that mean…?_

He chuckles at my expression.

"Don't worry, love, not yet. I need to chat with you first." His gaze and tone suddenly turns cool as he starts to pace. "First of all, you're probably wondering why I'm free. Someone nice and willing enough to make a deal with me, bailed me out." He smiles and pauses for a moment, as if he's thinking of the memory. "So now I'm here. And to finally get what I've always wanted." He grins wider, showing some rotten teeth, and throws both arms out in an 'I'm free' gesture. "Revenge."

 _Oh…no…_

"I will no longer be pushed around by you or that fucked-up bastard, _Christian_ ," he sneers, my husband's name coming out like venom. "He has taken enough away from me, and now he will pay. The gracious person, who bailed me out, also wants revenge for Christian, you and Grace. So we made a deal. You will surrender yourself to us to save poor Grace and we'll kill you.

 _What!?_

"What better way to hurt Christian than to take the center of his universe away? He couldn't possibly live without you – he'd be devastated. So would all the Greys – they'd be so bored of him because he's be wandering around lifeless and hating himself for not saving you. That's my revenge. My bailer has her own revenge. Don't worry, you'll see her soon enough." He winks at me and grins menacingly again.

 _NO!_ This is so, so, wrong _._ No…I cannot let Christian live the rest of his life like that. I can't do that to him, or my children. _No, no, no._

He shrugs and continues to pace. "She has her own revenge, which involves in getting rid of you. So, we decided on killing you. Or at least staging your death – I'd like to play with you for a little while before you die. This is my only chance." His eyes gleam with wicked intent as his eyes rake up and down my body, and I am immediately disgusted and horrified.

"You disgust me," I spit, and I am surprised that I sound brave.

Jack only laughs. "We'll get what we want. But only if you do what I say."

"Through blackmail," I cut in as he slowly saunters over towards me and Grace. A slow cunning smile spreads across his gaunt face.

"You could say that." He shrugs, unperturbed. He stops right in front of me just as I take a step back. "So…this can either go the easy way…" He takes another step, "or the hard way."

So fast he doesn't have time to react, I lift my knee up into his groin, and he bends forward, groaning. I punch him in the face, causing him to topple to the ground.

"Bitch!" he curses and sways as he stands up. "So you chose the hard way." He narrows his eyes at me and then yells, "Grant!"

Instantly, the familiar face of a man that can only be Grant Hampton, walks out of a door to the side of the living room, flanked by two other men. They stalk towards me, their only intention to obey Jack's orders.

"Tie her up," Jack hisses as the two men grab each of my arms.

"Hello, Ana," Grant sneers with a wicked grin. "How have you been?"

I scoff and shake my head in answer, too disgusted to speak.

Grant begins searching my jacket and clothing, his hands feeling around for any hidden weapon. Finally he comes in touch with the gun, and grinning, he takes it out of its hiding place. He hands it to Jack who takes it and tuts. Grant continues to feel around for anything else but finds nothing and says, "All clear."

 _Phew._

Grant grabs the rope as the two men drag me over to the wall. I struggle out of their grasps, panting, but they are much too strong. They roughly kick me to the ground, possibly leaving a bruise on my side, and effortlessly tie my hands behind my back. The rope is tied to a hook in the floor so I can't go anywhere, just like Grace's. I thrash to try and get out of the rope to no avail. The men step away and Jack nods at them to leave, so they do.

"Ana, Ana, Ana," Jack croons, smiling down at me. "You thought you could escape, with this?" He gestures to the gun. "Thought you could shoot me?" He lets out a cruel laugh. "Well, look at you now. Useless and pathetic, just as you've always been." He kicks my ribs and I yelp in pain. Tears spring to my eyes as I think of the baby living inside me. Jack seems to notice this as he grins and continues. "I've been kicked around much too much. Every time I try to get back at that bastard, he always escapes. Same for the rest of the Greys. They've made my life hell – I got thrown in jail, _twice_ because of them!"

Suddenly something dawns on me.

"It was you," I whisper, wondering how I could be so stupid. "Not Grant. You're the one who set fire to my office."

Jack laughs, tipping his head back.

"Yes, very good. Well, technically, I did send Grant to do that seeing as I'd easily be caught. But it was my idea originally." He shrugs. "At least it did some damage and sent you a warning."

A warning.

I shake my head in disbelief.

"Anyway, I will no longer be knocked around. Because I have Grace now. And I have you." He bends down in front of me and leans forward, his face so close I nearly dry retch at the strong stench of stale beer, smoke and old sweat. "Finally, you are mine."

 _What?!_

"Like hell I am!" I hiss and spit into his face.

He growls and wipes the spit off his face but otherwise ignores my rage.

Slowly, he reaches up and strokes my cheek and jaw, down my neck to the zip of my jacket. Slowly, he pulls it down, never looking away from my eyes. A triumphant smile lights up his face.

 _No!_

"Stop!" Grace shrieks, a horrified look on her face. "Stop, you bastard! Leave her the fuck alone!"

Grace cursing shocks me seeing as I've never heard her before. Given the situation, I can't blame her.

"Shut up," Jack growls at her and after slipping off my jacket, continues to unbutton my blouse. I cringe away, closing my eyes as fear grips me. I am thankful that he leaves my bra and jeans on, but he brushes those dirty hands against my skin.

"Don't touch me," I hiss through clenched teeth.

Jack chuckles, sending a chill right through my bones.

"And what are you going to do about it, all tethered up like this, huh?"

He grins and starts trailing kisses across my jaw, down my neck and down my torso. Tears form in my eyes. How had I ever let something like this happen? I could not… Not to myself and not to Christian.

Grace continues to shriek at Jack but he otherwise ignores her as he continues.

"Get away from me, Jack," I growl at him. "You are nothing but a lazy bastard. A coward. How could you do this to anyone? But of course, you are nothing. You have no heart."

"Bitch," he sneers and before I have a chance to react, he slaps me hard across my face, causing my cheek to sting. The tears that has formed in my eyes spill over as the pain and fear of what he can do grips me.

"No! You get away from her, you horrible man."

"I told you to shut the hell up!" Jack shouts as he reaches Grace and slaps her, too. He grabs the cloth and shoves it back into her mouth to gag her. "That's more like it."

He slides back over to me and gazes me up and down. A wicked, triumphant look flashes in his eyes as he strokes my torso.

"Now, where were we?"

He trails kisses across my jaw and neck, gradually reaching downwards. I don't close my eyes, I just stay as passive as I can, not reacting.

"Come on, Ana," he persuades me. "You used to be so reactive. I'd particularly think you'd be even more so pregnant." He strokes my bulge as he says this in a dark tone. I clench my jaw, but still stay stoic. He chuckles. "Stronger now, are we? Well, I'll coerce a moan or two from you soon."

I remain quiet, blocking him out.

Just as his about to bend forward to do something else, the door by the living room swings open to reveal a tall, slim blonde. Jack whips around and stands. They greet each other with a nod. I look her up and down and disgust immediately settles. How can someone so horrible, be so content? I cannot believe it. This is the woman that Jack has been talking about.

Elena Lincoln.

"Elena," I manage to choke out. She looks at me and smiles rather too sweetly.

"Ana," she croons and then looks over at Grace. She bows her head slightly in greeting and moves closer towards her. "Grace, my dear, dear friend. Long time, no see."

Grace is bone white with shock and hatred flares in her eyes as she mutters something incomprehensible through the cloth.

"So, now that we have you both tied up," Elena says and bends down in front of Grace. "I can say my piece." She looks over at me and pins me with a cool stare. "You have stolen the very thing closest to me and also got me away from Grace. So, Jack and I are going to stage your death saying that you were killed by burglars breaking into the apartment and that it was too late for me to save you."

"And what makes you think I'd come to this random apartment for?"

She smiles. "You wanted to meet me for a reason you didn't say over the phone. I'll tell him how I never got your reason why because it was too late. You already died. Then he'll be in grief and want to be my friend once more. He'll need comfort."

I scoff. This was unbelievable. "Christian would never believe you. He's never wanted to be your friend again. In fact, he hasn't talked about you for years. And I'm sure as hell Grace doesn't want to be your friend either." Grace nods and pins Elena with a frosty glare in confirmation. "Anyway, you do realize she's listening to everything you're saying. She'll just tell Christian the truth."

She laughs halfheartedly. "No, she won't." She gives Grace a stern look. "Not if she doesn't want Christian or the rest of her family harmed. That includes her grandchildren."

"No!" I shriek, unable to help it. I cannot let mine or Kate's and Elliot's children be harmed. "You bitch!"

"Well, now, you'll listen." Elena smiles coolly as if she's getting onto me.

"As if I'd want to listen to you," I scoff, putting as much menace into my voice as I can. "You're nothing but a bitch and a child molester. Go to hell."

Fire flashes through her eyes and Jack slaps me across the face again.

"You don't talk to her like that!" he yells into my face. " _You_ are the bitch and a liar!" He kicks me hard in my ribs again and punches me in the face to prove his point. My head hits the wall rather harshly. I moan as a sharp pain slices through my head. I feel warmth pool down the back of my scalp and I realize it's bleeding. Blood also trickles down my nose as it throbs, but luckily it doesn't feel broken.

When I look over at Grace again, her face is in dead cold fear and she's cringing away from Elena who holds a knife to her cheek.

 _No!_

"Get away from her, you bitch!" I yell and struggle to get out of the ropes.

But Elena slices a fresh cut into Grace's cheek. Grace tries to act strong, but she can't help a moan of pain as tears wash down her face. Blood drips from the freshly cut wound.

"There," Elena quips sweetly, standing up. "If you don't want more than I suggest you keep quiet and go along with the plan."

I shake my head in absolute disgust, helpless trussed up in rope.

"Go to hell, both of you," I whisper under my breath. They both turn to give me an icy glare but I can't care less.

"I think it's time to shut them up, don't you?" Jack asks Elena with a smug smile.

"I think so, too," Elena agrees sweetly and walks away out of sight. She comes back with two syringes containing a clear liquid.

 _Oh…no…_

Elena bends down in front of Grace and injects the liquid into her arm. Grace lays back and closes her eyes as Elena finishes. She walks over to me with a sweet smile and moves behind me to inject it into me.

"What is that?" I gasp out.

Elena ignores me and I cringe as I feel the sharp sting of the needle sink into my skin. Elena finishes and stands.

"Glad that's settled," Jack says with a grin. "We want to discuss alone. So make yourselves at home while we're gone and, no escaping."

At that, they disappear behind the door they came out of.

I blink, a little disorientated and completely nonplussed. How the hell has this happened so quickly?

"Oh, Ana," Grace cries with a sob and I turn to look at her. "I am so sorry. I had no idea you were going to save me till they started talking about you. It scared me. I have no idea how this happened so fast…"

"No, Grace, shh, calm down," I soothe, giving her a look of sympathy. "You don't have to be sorry at all, this isn't your fault."

"I feel that way. I was the one who got captured in the first place."

I shake my head to brush it off. "Grace, please, this is not your fault." Then something comes to mind. I frown. "How did they catch you?"

"Oh, dear, it was so fast," she whispers as she remembers. "I was out shopping around midday and went to the restroom. When I came out someone grabbed me from behind – there was no one else there to see, so they managed quite easily. Then I felt as if I passed out and I woke up to find myself here. It was frightening."

"Oh, Grace," I stress, wanting to comfort her with a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"Ana, don't worry. I'm just so grateful that you came to save me. I'm sorry you had to get caught up in this mess, too."

"No, it's their entire fault." I gesture my head towards the door and she nods in understanding. Then I laugh in spite of the situation. "Christian and Carrick and the others are probably out now, roaming the streets trying to find us."

"Oh dear," she gasps but gives me a slightly warm smile. I smile back at her.

"Don't worry, Grace, we'll get out of this soon. Let's have some faith that something good will happen. I'm just glad we are together, and not alone in this."

She nods and sighs, "Me too."

I gasp as I remember something and lower my voice to a faint whisper so the others don't hear. "I wrote down the name of this hotel…and left the note on my desk. I am hoping they see it and come find us."

Grace looks a lot calmer now that I've told her. But she says nothing more, resting her head on the wall and closing her eyes.

Suddenly I feel very sleepy. I frown in confusion, but otherwise mimic Grace. Then, just as I lose consciousness, I realize what they injected us with is something to knock us out.

Darkness…peace…


	19. Chapter 19 - Goodbye

**A/N: Yes, I know, I'm making this very melancholy. I'm sorry. It's gotta have some story, doesn't it?**

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen**

 **G** **oodbye**

 **Monday, 4th September 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

I wake up to find the room blanketed in darkness, though a lamp nearby lights the living room. It must be around midnight, because it's too dark out the windows for it to be evening. I blink away sleep and feel pain in my head and ribs. They are throbbing. I wince and look over to Grace who is staring at me with a pained expression, also.

"Grace," I croak. She smiles sadly in response. "It'll be okay…we'll figure a way out of this."

"I know," she whispers and we both look in the direction of the door. It's still closed and I sigh in relief.

I look out the window at the dark canopy and the lights of the Seattle buildings ahead. It's a rather beautiful sight and it's comforting at this situation. Out there somewhere, Christian is looking for me. For both of us, along with some others. I smile slightly at the thought of being in the protection of his arms again. Before I know it, I am crying, shaking with fresh sobs. Grace whispers a few words for comfort but I can only nod in response, my eyes wholly fixed out the window. I cannot deny how scared I am. Anyone in their right mind will be.

Unexpectedly, as I shift in a more comfortable position, something hard and partly cold touches my skin against my lower back and comes to my attention. The pocketknife! I realize we have a chance at escaping after all. Relief and adrenaline courses through me as I think of how to get the pocketknife out. I shift my buttocks forwards more and bend back into a slouch. My hands blindly reach into the waistband of my jeans and into my panties. I notice in my peripheral vision that Grace is watching me, wondering what I'm doing. I smile slightly and bite my lip in concentration. My hands eventually catch the knife and I slowly slide it out, with minor difficulty. _Yes!_

I laugh softly in triumph and, while watching the door in case anyone comes through, I quickly unlatch the knife from its holder and saw the rope apart, faster and faster. I hear Grace gasp and then softly thank me. Eventually, the rope snaps apart and I am free. I check the door again, and confident we are spared time for quite a while, I swiftly move over to Grace, hush her, and start sawing her rope till it snaps apart.

Grace embraces me in a tight hug and I return it, gladly and happily.

"Thank you, so much, Ana," she cries and kisses my cheek. "I am forever in your dept."

"Oh, Grace, it's okay." I rub her back and then pull away, helping her stand up. "We have to run. Now."

She nods and we quietly sneak across the floorboards, wincing as we hear one creak. As we almost reach the apartment door, the other door opens and we both whip around to see a glaring-with-fury Jack in the threshold. He aims the gun at us.

"Well, well, well," he croons in a menacing voice. "And where do you think you two are going?"

This is it. We are going to die.

"Grace," I gasp out, still looking at Jack. "Go. Get out now, get help."

"Ana, no!"

"Please, Grace, go!"

"You guys are not going anywhere!" Jack shouts aiming the gun right at me. Something far worse than just anger flashes in his eyes.

Before he can do anything, the front door is kicked open, and a bunch of guards with guns come through, including Taylor and Sawyer when I whip around. Carrick is among them and as soon as he sees Grace, pulls her into a tight hug, sobbing. Grace is in tears, hugging him back. My focus is on Christian who is standing behind me, his face as pale as a ghost, watching me in fear.

"Ana," he gasps out. Tears prick my eyes at his horrified expression.

Jack suddenly laughs coldly and I turn back to look at him warily. "Oh, I get some payback now. And it hurts like a Goddamn bitch!"

At that, he fires the gun and I hear myself scream out as I feel the blinding pain wash through my shoulder.

"ANA!" Christian cries out, stepping forwards but Jack shoots again, and this time the pain grips my leg, causing me to collapse.

I cry out and clutch my throbbing leg that begins weeping blood. My head hits the ground with a thud, making it throb even more. Everything hurts. In the distance, I am aware of guards holding Jack down as Christian beats him to a pulp, shouting profanities at him.

Carrick and Taylor are on Christian immediately, pulling him back, trying to calm him down. Grace is shrieking. All I can concentrate on is the deafening pain. I can't help crying out, writhing on the ground as the agony bursts through me. I am shaking and gasping in air dramatically from the pain and seeing all the blood. It makes me feel nauseas, so I try not to watch as it pools onto the ground beneath me. Carrick runs to Grace and takes her out and I no longer hear her cries.

Suddenly, all the guards disperse from the room, along with Jack. I am left here, writhing on the ground as Christian limps towards me and collapses into a kneeling position beside me. I see another figure kneeling at my legs and I realize it's Taylor. He is talking frantically on the phone. He takes off his jacket and holds it to my leg wound to stop the bleeding. Christian follows instantly to my other wound.

My heart jolts when I see Christian's expression. It is one I don't see very often. No, it's even worse. I have never seen him _this_ upset before.

Christian is sobbing, clutching onto my hand for dear life and kissing it and my face, pleading. His other hand is all bloody from holding his jacket to my shoulder. Taylor is trying his best to stop the bleeding from my leg and shouting desperately over the phone. I am bewildered, my head is clouding with the pain and exhaustion but I can just make out what Christian is saying.

"No, Ana, no, you can't leave me, please, please," he sobs, taking my hand to his lips. "I'm not ready. Please, hold on. You can hold on. Please, baby, please."

But I am slipping away. Darkness threatens to close in on me and I cannot form words to speak. I gasp and shriek as another wave of pain shoots through me. Blood is everywhere. I feel so dizzy and nauseas. And so tired…

Oh, God…

"Ana, shh, you'll be okay, you'll be fine," Christian soothes, stroking my hair back. "You're going to be okay, baby, just hold on." I have never seen him so vulnerable. My lost boy…

"Chris…tian," I manage to gasp out. He sobs out a small laugh of relief. I reach up to stroke his face, feeling his spiky stubble. I smile up at him warmly and he smiles back down at me, as much as he can through his tears. He looks at me with love and hope, hope that I will stay with him.

"Don't cry," I say, shaking my head slightly. "Don't cry for me, Christian…"

He just smiles and strokes back a strand of my hair.

"I love you," I whisper and he lets out another sob. "Stay strong for me. For Ted…for Phoebe…" I don't think I will ever leave him, but just in case, I want him to be there for my children. I want him to promise me that. He starts to shake his head, a look of clear dread crossing his face.

"No…you're not…leaving me, Ana. Not now, not ever." His voice manages to sound firm although he can't stop crying. "Please, baby. I can't let you go, I'm not ready. You're my everything, Ana."

I laugh through a sob. Because I'm crying, too. But not just from the pain of the shots. I cannot help but feel this is goodbye.

"I know," I whisper. I wipe a few of his tears away with my thumb, but they just keep coming. "I'm here."

"Oh, Ana, I love you," he cries and kisses my forehead again and again. He rests his nose against mine. "So much. Please. P-please stay, baby. F-for me. For our…children."

I gasp at the power his words and the fresh waves of pain that try to push me away from him. I see stars.

"Yes…I will…" My body throbs in protest and I can't help screaming at the pain. "Oh, Christian, it hurts. Everything hurts."

"Oh, Ana," he gasps, kissing my hand and stroking my cheek. "I know, baby, I-I know. An ambulance is on its w-way."

"Stay with me," I gasp out. "P-please."

He squeezes my hand, nodding. "I'm r-right here, baby. I'm…not going… anywhere. I'm here."

He kisses me again, forcefully as if his life depends on it, this time on my lips and I respond. He pulls away to stare deeply into my eyes. There is so much hope, love and anguish there. So much fear. I can see now that Christian definitely cannot bear to let me go, so I try to hold on for him.

I brush his face, amazed how I could win such a gorgeous man like him. I am one lucky woman. I give him one last smile, because I can't hold on anymore. Black spots dot my vision as the pain ceases to calm down. I feel like I'm in a dream.

"You're so beautiful," I whisper, because it's true and the only words I can think of saying. He's like my guardian angel. I hear him laugh and see his smile while more tears roll down his cheeks. But this time I don't have enough strength to wipe them away. My hand falls limply to my side. The pain is too strong. I feel numb. I am exhausted.

"Ana," I hear him whisper one last time as my eyes droop.

Tired, too tired…

Darkness closes over me. Finally…peace…


	20. Chapter 20 - Desolation

**A/N:** **Poor Christian...that's all I have to say. :'(**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty**

 **Desolation**

 **Monday, 4th September 2017**

 **Christian**

* * *

 _No…she's gone…she's gone…she's gone…_

It's the only words I can think of. I can't believe it. I won't. I can't. I won't because it can't be true. Fuck, no, it's not! She's _not_ dead! Stop thinking this! Ugh! I want to scream. But then I realize I am. I'm screaming and crying. I don't think I've ever been this upset or angry. Angry that she has left me. She can't. She hasn't. No…fuck, no!

"Sir…please," a voice urges me once more and I realize it's Taylor, trying to pull me off of Anastasia. No. Go away! She's mine! "The paramedics are here."

"NO!" I yell through sobs. I can't let her go. I don't want to. I squeeze her hand tighter and kiss her forehead again, watching her face peaceful in sleep. I must bring her back. That's all I want. To bring her back to me. "Please…please…come back to me, baby, please. Please, Ana. Stay with me. I can't live without you. I love you. Please…"

"Sir," Taylor urges and his voice wavers. He sounds upset, too. "She's not dead, not yet. She is just unconscious, and we can heal her. But you must let her go."

"Fuck, no," I hiss, holding Ana tighter.

I notice paramedics have arrived and are surrounding Ana, looking at me, waiting for me to leave. Like hell I will. Gently, Taylor lifts me by my arms and starts pulling me away. I struggle out of his grip but it's too strong.

"NO! Stop! No! Let me GO!" I yell, needing to be with my wife. "Let me the hell go!"

But Taylor ignores me, pulling me right off her so that I have to let go of her hand. Fuck, no! The paramedics are on her immediately, checking her out.

No! Don't touch her!

I am still struggling, thrashing about as Taylor drags me out of the room. No! The paramedics are now lifting Ana gently onto a stretcher and taking her out of the room.

No! Leave her alone!

They pass us, and Taylor moves me out of their way. They continue down the hallway and into the elevator down to the ground floor, out of my sight.

No, no, no!

"Sir, please, calm down," Taylor urges, holding onto me more firmly.

I stop struggling in his arms, panting and try to calm my breathing. Suddenly, I see a flash of blonde inside the apartment and see that it belongs to a woman. I know immediately who it is and I launch myself in that direction. When I reach her I pin her to the ground and punch her in the face. She screams and looks up at me, wide-eyed. Her nose begins to bleed.

"How fucking DARE you!?" I bellow at Elena and she gasps with fear. "How could you do this to my wife? To Grace? How dare you touch her and my mother!? You are a fucking BITCH! You get out of my sight, NOW!"

"Christian, please!" she is sobbing. "I didn't mean to. I only want to be your friend again! I know what's best for you!"

I scoff and shake my head. "No! You've never known what's best for me. And hell, you'll never be my friend again! Ever touch Anastasia or any of my family again, you're DEAD! You hear me?!"

"Yes! Please, let me go!"

"Fuck this," I curse and stand up, pulling her up with me. I stalk out of the room, dragging her by her t-shirt and throw her at Taylor who grasps her arms mechanically.

"I want her arrested! Get her out of my sight!" I order Taylor. He nods and walks down the hallway.

 _Before I decide to kill her_ , I think menacingly.

Completely confused by the situation, and emotional, I run past him and instead of taking the elevator I rush down the stairs, to the foyer and out the doors in a flash. I look around and see many things.

Not many onlookers are about because it's only after one in the morning, but I see Sawyer and Thomas, one of my other guards, trying to hold Jack down to the ground. Jack is struggling to get out of their grasps. Taylor rushes to them with Elena Lincoln in his arms and hands her over to the police who are stationed nearby. They take her and put her in the back of the police cab. Police guards are surrounding Jack, Taylor and Sawyer, aiding them.

I watch as Jack yanks out of the guards' grasps and holds Sawyer's gun he swiped from him, aiming it at Sawyer. Slight fear clutches me, but just before Jack can shoot, on instinct, Taylor fires his gun at Jack and Jack collapses to the ground with a groan, his back bleeding out.

 _Finally._

Very shortly, Jack will die unless he got fixed up. But I don't give a fuck about him.

I glance at Taylor and he is staring at Jack in fear and shock at what he just did. I see his body shaking slightly, though he is very talented at masking expressions. He catches my eye and I shake my head at him to tell him it's okay. The police also account it as a protective move. Taylor only shot Jack out of defense. If he hadn't, Sawyer would have died. Sawyer is now shaking hands with Taylor and patting him on the back.

I glance around and once I see the ambulance, I race towards it. A paramedic halts me before the doors.

"Sorry, sir, but I'm afraid you can't come in here," a young female says.

"She's my wife!" I say through gritted teeth but the paramedics throw glances at each other.

"You'll have to wait at the hospital, sir."

"No! I'll go with her."

"Sir –"

"Look, I don't have to touch her, I just want to be with her," I plead, trying to calm myself down. "Please, she's my wife."

"Alright," a male says and nods at me. He looks at the woman. "Let him in."

Grudgingly, the female gives way and I hop into the back, sitting beside Anastasia. The female closes the doors. Ana's eyes are closed in a deep sleep, she has cuts all over her, and her gunshot wounds are held with gauze. She wears a breathing mask to help her breathe. Dread clutches me and more tears roll down my cheeks as the ambulance drives off. This scene reminds me of the aftermath of the fire and how I met her in the ambulance with a mask and covered in cuts. Only much worse.

I cannot resist. I reach for her hand and squeeze it gently as the female checks Ana's pulse and wounds. She doesn't pay much attention to me, too engrossed in what she's doing, and I cannot be any happier.

I kiss Ana's hand and cry quietly as the ambulance makes its way to the hospital, sirens blaring.

oOoOoOo

Seven hours so far Anastasia has been in the operating room. I am beside myself with fear, pacing up and down the hospital waiting room, waiting anxiously for news about Ana. My hair is a complete mess because I have been running my hands through it so much, but I don't care one bit. I want my Ana back.

"Christian," my father pleads from a chair in the waiting room. "You're making us more anxious. Please, sit down."

Grace is sitting next to him, already healed up and holding his hand. I sit down next to her but only to get right back up again when the doors open. A doctor comes through but passes us to the reception. I exhale and run my hands through my hair.

Taylor, Katherine and Elliot with their children and mine suddenly walk through the front doors and greet us warmly but with anxiety.

"Oh, my, God, I can't believe it," Kate gasps to Grace who is holding her hand. Kate is already crying, eyes blood-shot and red-rimmed, worried for her best friend. She sits down next to Grace, pulling the stroller with Jacob in it near her. Ava sits on the chair next to her mother.

Elliot walks up to me and gives me a tight hug, patting me on my back. I hug him back, tears pricking my eyes again.

"She'll be okay, bro," he whispers and sits down beside Ava.

It's my kids turn to hug me. Ted hugs me around my waist and I pick up Phoebe and hug her. I ruffle Ted's hair with my free hand and then set my kids down on some chairs. I stay standing. I am too anxious to sit. I begin pacing again.

"Fuck, this wait is too long," I hiss through clenched teeth. I am so annoyed. This is too long. Hurry up! I want to see her.

"We'll get to see her soon, Christian," Dad tries to soothe me. "Please, sit down with us."

"I can't," I stress, running my hands through my hair. Carrick sighs, giving up. My eyes are glued to the double doors, waiting for a doctor to come out.

"Please, Christian," Grace pleads in a whisper. There are tears in her voice. I shake my head, not looking at her.

"Daddy," Ted pleads, pulling on my hand. "Sit with us."

I sigh in frustration but follow him and sit down on a chair closest to the door. Ted sits on my lap and I wrap my arms around him to secure him. My whole attention is on the door and my legs won't stop jiggling. Theodore begins laughing at the ride and I smile slightly for his amusement. I'm glad he doesn't really know what's going on, or he'd be distraught.

Finally, twenty minutes later, a male doctor who looks to be in his thirties walks through the double doors and stops in front of us. I pick Ted up and place him on the chair I sat on, after standing up.

The doctor looks between us, his face impassive.

"Hello, I am Dr. Stache," he greets us warmly and he has an English accent. "You are Anastasia Grey's family?"

"Yes," I breathe. "Is she okay? Can we see her?"

He smiles slightly. "Yes, she is okay." I sigh in relief. "She is out of the operating room, all fixed up, but we've had to sedate her so she can rest. So she'll be in a coma for a few days." He looks anxiously at me when my eyes bulge and my teeth clench.

"What!" I shout, absolutely outraged. How can they keep Ana sleeping for that long? I can't wait that long. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." I am shaking with rage.

"Please," Dr. Stache soothes in his soft, calm voice he obviously uses for patients. "Anastasia needs the rest. She will wake up in a few days, we're not exactly sure when. She has two gunshot wounds, one to the shoulder and one to her thigh. Cuts and bruises cover her skin in several places, mainly her face and chest. She has red marks around her wrists from what could possibly be rope being tied to her. Her ribs have been cracked but fortunately not fully broken. There is a crack in the back of her skull. The tissue in her shoulder and thigh have been ripped through and her bones there have been broken. I am very sorry for this unfortunate news and the long wait."

I am absolutely astounded. I cannot move. Fuck…what the hell happened to Ana all that time? I am so fucking glad Jack is dead, though I wish I had killed him. Fuck that bastard! I am relieved Elena, Grant and the other two were caught and thrown in jail. But what Jack did…I wish he could have paid for what he did first. Hopefully beating him up and his death is enough to calm me. I can't think much about it. All my thoughts are focused on Ana. I want to see her so badly. Thank heavens she's alive!

I notice I've been crying and Carrick is holding me in a tight hug, softly soothing me with words and rubbing my back. I hug him back and surrender myself to my emotion, closing my eyes tightly, wishing this pain of losing Ana will go away.

"I want to see her," I sniff, letting my father go. He lets go of me and squeezes my shoulder.

Dr. Stache nods. "For now, we can only let two visitors in at a time. More can come in when she's more healed."

"You can just go, Christian," Grace tells me, holding onto Carrick's hand. "We'll wait here."

I nod to thank them and follow the doctor through the double doors and down the long hallways of rooms. We turn left, and finally he leads me into room number 17. He nods at me and I walk in.

"What relationship do you have with Anastasia Grey?" Dr. Stache asks.

"I am her husband. Christian Grey."

 _He should know this…_

His eyebrows rise in surprise and he smiles as he studies me. "Right, Mr. Grey. We'll check up on her soon but we can leave you alone with her for a while."

I nod at him and he leaves, shutting the door behind him. I walk up to the bed and Ana is lying there in a hospital gown, wearing a breathing mask, an IV and a heart monitor on her right index finger. Her left arm is in a sling, to support her shoulder. A bandage covers her right cheek. I gasp when my heart clenches at the sight of her like this and I slowly sink into the chair beside the bed. Tears rise and brim over, falling gently down my face.

I take a deep breath and reach for her right hand, holding it in both of mine. I squeeze it gently and press a few kisses to it. I hold it to my lips and softly sob for some time, really breaking down.

"Oh, baby," I breathe moments after, gently stroking her forehead a couple of times. "I'm so, so sorry. I never thought this could happen to you. You've been through so much, baby. Oh, Ana." I gasp and heavy sobs rack my body. I don't think I've ever cried this much, not since I was a child. "Please, baby. Come back to me. I don't want you to leave me. Not now. We've hardly had any time. Six years is not enough. Oh, please. We're going to have a new addition to the family soon. You…you can't leave me now. Please, baby. I love you."

I continue to sob and kiss her hand, whispering pleading and soothing words to her. What feels like an hour passes before a nurse comes to check on her and my children are allowed in to visit her.

"Momma," Phoebe murmurs, pouting at her lying in bed. "Why's she sleeping?" she asks me.

"She's not well, darling," I tell her, rubbing her arm. I kiss her head and then Ted's. "Don't worry, guys. She'll come back to us soon."

"Can she hear us?" Ted wonders.

I smile slightly. "Maybe. You can only guess."

"I love you, Mommy," he tells her anyway and kisses her hand.

"C'mon, kids, we must go home," Grace gently says to them twenty minutes later, and I take them off my lap. I kiss and hug them goodnight.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Ted asks, cocking his head.

"No, kiddo," I breathe, rubbing his head. "I'm going to stay with Mommy, check up on her. You can visit her tomorrow, okay? Sleep well, guys. I love you."

"Oh, okay. Love you, Daddy." Ted looks glum but otherwise follows Grace who is holding Phoebe and they walk out after waving to me. Carrick waves from beside Grace and follows after them. They told me they'd take care of Ted and Phoebe at their house and I said that'd be perfect. It wouldn't be good to leave them alone at home with just Taylor and Mrs. Jones. The children need someone more familiar and the same blood to hang around with. The kids love my parents.

I sigh and rest back in the cushioned chair, holding onto Ana's hand. She looks so peaceful, sleeping without a care in the world. I am glad – she needs the rest. I just want her to wake up soon, very soon. I need her, always.

It takes hours later for me to fall asleep, but I eventually drift for a short time in the lounge chair.


	21. Chapter 21 - Endless Pain

**A/N: Oh no, not another sad chapter... Don't worry, it gets better! ;D I used one of my poems for this one. I hope you like it. Please no copyright, thanks :) Love ya, guys.**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

 **Endless Pain**

 **Monday, 4th – Thursday, 7th September 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

Pain.

I still feel pain. Everywhere, it consumes me. My head and bones are throbbing. I want it to stop already. It's the same pain I felt earlier when I rose to consciousness. Several times I am in and out of consciousness, hearing bits and pieces. I cannot move. I feel like I'm dreaming though I'm not sure. I feel so groggy, and hazy.

Someone is gently sobbing again. _No! Not again._

"I…I can't do this anymore," the angel sobs to someone else who is trying to soothe him. "I want her back. I want Ana back now."

"Shh, Christian, you will get her back," the gentle voice of Grace fills the room. "I have never seen you so distraught, dear. I am so sorry." Grace also sounds like she's crying, too. Will everyone stop crying already? I don't want them to cry.

"She's been asleep so long…I can't…God…I want her, Mom," Christian cries, sniffing. "I can't do this without her."

 _No…please, don't cry!_

"I know, dear, I know," Grace says, sniffing also. I imagine her hugging Christian, trying to calm him. "Shh, she'll be awake soon, darling, don't worry."

"I know. But I want her now."

"Oh, darling…"

The voices fade and sleep closes in on me.

oOoOoOo

"She looks so peaceful," a soothing and familiar voice brings to my attention. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry this happened to you, dear."

It's Mom! She's with me, in Seattle! _Oh, Mom…_

My natural instinct is to jump awake and hug her…but I can't. My body will not let me.

"She does," a gentle and low voice sounds. Ray! "There's our little girl."

 _Oh, Ray…Daddy…_

"She should get a lot of rest," someone else cuts in and it sounds like Bob. Oh, he came with Mom! "She'll be okay, she's strong."

I really want to hug them, but I cannot move. I can't open my eyes. It's frustrating.

"I love you, baby," Mom says and she sniffs. She's crying, too.

I feel myself slipping away yet again. No! Not so soon…

Sleep overtakes me.

oOoOoOo

"Oh, Ana," Christian says and I feel him squeeze and kiss my hand. He is crying yet again. "Please, baby, come back to me. Please. You've been gone so long. Please, baby, please. I want you back."

 _No, Christian, please don't cry…_ I want to come back…but my body won't let me. _Please don't cry._

The lacking use of my body makes me dream of a poem in my fogged-mind.

 ** _Senseless (Poem by FlyingPages934 Aka, me.)_**

 _I feel myself underground;_

 _drowning, suffocating._

 _But there is no feeling._

 _I hear myself screaming;_

 _calling, shouting._

 _But there is no sound._

 _I taste the dirt on my tongue;_

 _cold, moist._

 _But there is no flavor._

 _I see the light above me;_

 _bright, out of reach._

 _But there is no sight._

 _I smell the blood around me;_

 _strong like bleach._

 _But there is no scent._

 _I want to fight,_

 _But my body is too weak._

 _I want to see,_

 _But my eyes won't seek._

 _I want to taste,_

 _But my tongue has died._

 _I want to speak,_

 _But my voice has dried._

 _I want to smell,_

 _But my scent has left._

 _I want to hear,_

 _But my ears are deaf._

 _I want to feel,_

 _But my touch is lost._

 _It's 40 degrees celsius outside,_

 _But I am cold and frozen like frost._

 _I am for sale,_

 _But there is no cost._

 _I am in jail,_

 _But there is no bail._

 _Instead,_

 _My senses are dead._

 _And therefore I am._

"We're going to have another child." He laughs and kisses me again. "I can't do that without you, baby. Please, come back. Just come back. I love you.

 _I love you, too!_ I want to scream but my brain is hazy and I fall back to sleep.

oOoOoOo

"Why isn't she awake yet?" Ted's adorable voice wonders. "It's been so long."

"She needs a lot of rest," Christian tells him.

"I want her to wake up now," he grumbles and I imagine him pouting. _Oh Ted…_

"Momma, wake up!" Phoebe shouts and it makes me smile inside.

"She can't yet, sweetheart," Christian whispers, voice strained. "I know – I want her back, too. We just have to be patient."

oOoOoOo

I rise to consciousness yet again and the pain is more profound than ever before. _Fuck, it hurts!_ It clouds my body and my mind. I am aching so much. My shoulder and my leg hurt the most and I wonder why. Why am I hurting so badly?

Slowly, scenes of what happened to me come to my memory. Fuck! Jack! Oh, my, God, Grace! Wait, she's okay isn't she? I recall her talking to Christian earlier. Yes, she should be fine now. Thank God. Where is Jack, then? And Elena and the other men? Fuck…this happened so fast it's hard to recall it all.

The last thing I remember is Christian's frightened and utterly distraught expression as he looked down at me, begging me not to go once I was shot. Fuck! No wonder my shoulder and leg hurt so much. Oh, no… Will I be able to walk again? Oh, please, let me! It'd be horrifying having to use a wheelchair or something of the sort for the rest of my life.

Something else rises to my awareness and I gasp. I can move. I can literally move. Yes! Am I awake for good? Fully awake?

Slowly, my heavy eyes flutter open to the bright florescent lights of the hospital. When I look to the window, light shines through the blinds and I guess it's morning. I blink from the brightness. I notice that I have no need to pee like usual when I first wake up. Why is that? I feel dry so I know I haven't wet myself, thank God. Gosh, I feel so groggy. How long have I been sleeping for? Hours? A day?

I look around the room and only spot Christian in a cushioned chair beside me. He has his beside my stomach and is holding my right hand. My right hand has a bandage around the wrist and a heart monitor on its index finger. An IV needle is hooked in my right arm. I cringe when I look at it and avert my gaze. My left arm is in a sling and I feel my left leg bandaged up tightly. My left wrist also has a bandage around it as well as my cheek. Gosh, am I a mess.

I blink in bewilderment and I feel discombobulated. I watch Christian, peacefully sleeping on top of me and I smile.

 _Oh, Fifty._

He must be so exhausted, from troubled sleep and being so worried about me.

Trying not to wake him, I gently stroke his hair. He looks so adorable, his face pressed into my stomach and I can see half of his face. Déjà vu hits me and I think of when I was in the hospital like this last. I was also pregnant then, and it was after an incident with Jack. I shake my head in disbelief.

My stroking alerts him and Christian abruptly wakes up, lifting his head up to glance at me with wide-eyes. They are red-rimmed and puffy from exhaustion and crying. His eyes have dark circles under them, and I have an urge to argue with him about not getting proper sleep, but I hold it. He looks absolutely startled and relieved to see me and he blinks a few times and rubs his face from sleep, wondering if I'm really awake.

I smile at him and he takes a deep breath and exhales.

"Hi," I whisper. My voice is croaky and my mouth is utterly dry.

"Oh, Ana," he breathes and begins sobbing anew. Oh, no… He squeezes my hand and rests his face back on the bed near me, holding my stomach with his other hand. He softly cries into me and I continue to stroke his hair.

"Shh, I'm here, Christian," I croak. I clear my voice. Boy, it sounds terrible due to not being used for a while. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"I thought…I thought I'd lost you," he sobs, clutching me tighter. He's so vulnerable that it clutches at my heart. "Oh, I've been so worried, baby."

"I know, I'm so sorry, Christian," I whisper and bend forward to kiss his head. Tears spill from my eyes. He lifts his head up and studies me. "I'm really here."

"Oh, Ana," he cries again and pulls me into a deep kiss. I respond through sobs and we are all tongues and lips and tears and love. "I've missed you so, so much."

"I have, too." I smile and he smiles brightly back at me. He strokes my face and kisses me again and again. "I heard you while I was sleeping. Overheard some of your conversations."

"You did?" He is surprised.

"Yes," I chuckle. "I'm so sorry I worried you. I didn't mean to do any of this. I just wanted to save Grace."

"Oh, baby, I know," he breathes and kisses me. "I wish you hadn't of put yourself in danger like that. You could have easily asked for backup. But I am glad you went to save her. My brave Anastasia."

"I'm sorry," I sob. "I had to. Grant called me and said if I didn't come alone then he'd harm you, our kids and Grace. He said he'd kill Grace the moment anyone else walked into the room where they kept Grace. I'm so sorry. I'm –"

"Shh," he whispers, stroking my face and tears away. "I understand, Ana. I'm still mad at you." He throws me a glare. "So mad. But I am much more relieved you're alive and with me."

I laugh and he kisses me again.

"You can only be really mad at the ones you love," he whispers, staring deeply into my eyes. "I love you, Ana."

"I love you," I breathe and he takes me with his mouth. I pull back. "What's the time?"

He looks beside me at the clock and says, "It's just after 11am on Thursday."

"Thursday!" I exclaim, completely surprised.

"Yes, you've been unconscious for about four days, Ana." His eyes sadden more. "In a mild coma."

 _Shit!_

I blink and raise my eyebrows in surprise. "Gosh. I'm sorry."

He shakes his head and his lips lift slightly in a trace of a smile. "I'm just happy you're awake now."

"So is Grace okay?"

"Yes, she's fine." He smiles. "Everyone else is mad at you, too, you know. You scared them to death."

I roll my eyes and smile. "It doesn't surprise me. Everyone loves to be mad at Ana."

He chuckles, squeezing my hand.

"What about Jack and Elena?"

Christian's jaw clenches. "Elena, Grant and the other two men have been thrown in jail, thank heavens." I sigh in relief. "Jack is dead."

"What?" I gasp, shocked.

"He's gone, Ana, you no longer have to worry. They're all gone."

"Wow. He's really gone. How?"

"It doesn't matter." Christian shakes his head. I must be frowning for he smooths my expression with his fingers. "Hey, shh, don't be scared, Ana," he says as he studies my face. He kisses my cheek, kissing a tear away. "We're safe, now."

I chuckle and sob and the same time. Then I throw my right arm around Christian and cry into his shoulder.

"Oh, baby," he sniffs and he's crying to. He hardly ever cries. He is holding my waist with his arms and being careful not to hurt me. But then he squeezes a bit too tightly and my ribs protest in pain. I wince and he lets go straightaway. "Shit, I'm so sorry, Ana!"

"No, it's okay," I say, smiling in reassurance. "I'm just very sore."

"I'm sorry, baby." He looks so uncomfortable, sad and lost. "I wish you were better already."

"I know. Thank you. I will get better, it just takes time." I sigh then study him. I pout. "You look so tired, Christian."

He chuckles and wipes his tears away, then kisses my forehead.

"I know," he sighs. "But I couldn't leave your side. I am so glad you're back. I thought you'd never come back to me." He chokes on the last few words.

"Oh, Christian," I cry and kiss him. "Please, don't think that. I will always do my best to come back to you. But you don't have to worry anymore – I made a promise to myself that I'd promise you I'd never put myself in danger ever again unless my life really depended on it. So I promise I'll be safe from now on, okay?"

He chuckles again and kisses my hand.

"I hope you won't be hurt again. I want you to stay with me, baby."

"And I will." I smile at him and then something comes to me. "Oh! Is the baby okay?"

Christian smiles, his eyes sparkling. "Yes, baby, it is. The doctor didn't give me any other news though, so I don't know its gender yet. I think the doctor wanted you to know first."

He looks so annoyed when he rolls his eyes that I laugh.

"Since we're already at the hospital, perhaps we'll get an ultrasound here. Sound good?"

"That would be wonderful," he breathes, smiling and kisses me. "I love you so much. I thought I'd lose you and our new child."

"Oh, Christian," I gasp, my heart melting at his words. "Please don't think about that now. I'm here." I stroke his face, feeling his stubble. It's spikey. "I don't think I've ever seen you cry this much. And I love you, too."

He pulls me into another deep kiss and presses his nose to mine for a while. We are lost in kisses and touches of reunion.

oOoOoOo

"Jeez, someone's hungry," Christian laughs in surprise. He is sitting in the chair beside me, watching me wolf down my food. I am hungry, very much so. "You haven't eaten in days, so it's no wonder."

I am eating chicken soup which was delivered from Bite Squad which Taylor ordered for me. It came with a bowl of its very own, a spoon, baked rolls, butter and serviettes. It was a rather big serving but I've nearly eaten all of it. The nurse said I was allowed to have soup but nothing too heavy.

"Yes, I am hungry," I mumble around a bite of bread. "Pregnancies can do that."

He smiles at me saying his line from the night I told him the good news.

"They sure can." Christian won't stop smiling or watching me and given the fact that I've been unconscious for the past four days, and been in many terrifying situations, I don't blame him. Come to think of it, this has been a very busy month. I giggle.

"What?"

"It's just that these past months have been awfully eventful for me," I breathe as I think about it. "Firstly I found out I was pregnant after being sick, secondly I was nearly raped and abused with a knife, then I got stuck in a fire, and lastly I was blackmailed into saving Grace and abused and nearly sexually harassed again and got shot with a gun. And now I'm here. Gosh, who knew all that could happen in less than a year?"

Christian's forehead is creased and he is gazing at me with a sad expression.

"Sorry," I apologize, grimacing. "I didn't mean to remind you of all that."

He takes my hand and squeezes it, smiling. "It's okay, baby. I just wish none of it happened to you. Except for the pregnancy, of course," he quickly adds and I beam at him.

"Of course," I agree and he kisses my hand.

"On that note, we're going to have to start thinking of names once we have the ultrasound."

"Oh!" I squeal in excitement. "Oh, now I really want to find out what gender our little one is." I realize I automatically touched my stomach and Christian places his hand over mine, stroking it with his thumb.

"How about we do that after you eat and meet the others?" he suggests and I grin.

"Yes!"

He chuckles and tells me to eat and I gladly obey.

oOoOoOo

"I am so happy for you, honey," my Mom squeals, hugging me gently. "I cannot wait for my new grandchild."

"Thank you, Mom." Tears prick my eyes.

"Oh, I was so worried!" she cries again, after the hundredth time, sniffing.

"We both were," Ray says and there are tears in his eyes, too.

"Mom, Dad, please," I whisper, wiping my tears. I squeeze Mom's hand. "I'm okay now. I'm sorry I scared you guys."

"Oh, we will always worry for our daughter," Mom breathes and she kisses my cheek that doesn't have a bandage on it. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, too, Mom." I hug her once more and then hug Ray. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Annie," he breathes, his voice tight with unshed tears. "I always will. You stay safe for us, now. Get lots of rest."

"I will." I smile at them and my parents finally leave. They were there for about half an hour. I sigh, closing my eyes. Christian is currently off to a restroom and meal break, leaving me alone with my visitors.

I've already seen Phoebe but Ted is currently at kindergarten so I won't see him until he finishes today. Kate and Jose are also desperate to see me, and just as I think about them, when I open my eyes, both of them come into my room.

Kate gasps and her hand flies to her mouth as she takes me in. Jose also looks shocked and concerned to see me in this state, though I know they would have checked on me while I was unconscious.

"Dios, mio, Ana," Jose breathes as he takes me in.

Kate rushes over to me and gives me a gentle hug.

"Oh, Ana," she breathes and she's crying. "I've been so worried."

"We both have," Jose says, repeating Ray's line from before.

"Guys," I whine and kiss them both on the cheek. "I'm sorry. I'm fine now."

Kate gives me a look and I roll my eyes.

"Okay, not healed but I'm conscious. And alive."

She laughs softly and then pouts at me, taking my hand.

"I hope you get better soon," she whispers and a tear rolls down her cheek.

It's so unusual for Kate to cry for she rarely cries. She is such a strong woman.

"Kate, please don't cry. I'm fine," I insist and I reach up to wipe her tears away.

"If you say so." She lightens up a bit and smiles. "Oh, I was worried for the baby, too. I can't believe you're going to be a parent of another little one, and soon!"

"I am!" I squeal and chuckle. Jose smiles at me, too. "I was really worried, too, and I am so glad and lucky it's safe."

"Ooh, may I see how it's coming along?" Kate chirps and clutches her hands together. I beam at them, take the cover and sheets off my stomach and lift up the hospital gown which reveals the large bump. Kate gasps and Jose's lips mouth a "Wow."

"So exciting!" Kate cries and I cover myself again. "Have you thought of names yet?"

"Yes, many, but it's a little hard when I don't know the gender. I'm actually planning to have an ultrasound today, so I'll tell you soon."

"Oh, my, God!" Kate squeals.

"Emocionante!" Jose cuts in. "I am so happy for you, Ana!"

"Thank you, guys." I beam at both of them and then it's time to say goodbye when the nurse comes in. They leave and the nurse checks up on my vitals. She tells me I'll need to sleep soon but I don't particularly want to. I ask her if I can have an ultrasound and she says that will be fine. She goes out to get an ultrasound doctor and now I am grinning and bobbing up and down in my bed with joy. My body protests in pain. I wince and stop moving. Jeez, moving is difficult.

Though I don't really care right now. Today I get to find out the gender of my little one.


	22. Chapter 22 - Ultrasound

**A/N:** **Yay! They finally get to know the gender! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two**

 **Ultrasound**

 **Thursday, 7th September, 2017 Anastasia**

* * *

A male doctor walks in pushing in a screen on wheels and some other equipment. Christian follows right on the doctor's heel and walks up to me. He beams at me as he sits down on the chair to my right side and takes my hand. We squeeze each other's hand in anticipation as the doctor sets up the ultrasound machine.

"Excited, baby?" Christian breathes and I nod frantically, biting on my lip to keep the emotion in.

This shall be our first ultrasound. At the start of my pregnancy we decided not to get a scan then as we want to find out the gender in our first one. We know the baby has been okay throughout my pregnancy as I have experienced two pregnancies and know if something is going wrong. It's not unusual for women to only have one ultrasound, though they usually get more as they want to see their little one grow.

I did that with my past two pregnancies, but this time I want a surprise.

"Hello, Ana," the doctor greets me once he finishes setting the machine up. He smiles warmly at me. "My name is Dr. Stache. Could you please lie back and lift up your shirt so I can see your stomach?"

I nearly laugh at his name. It sounds like moustache. He probably gets that a lot – Mr. Stache, moustache. I bite my lip harder to keep my giggles in. I nod at Dr. Stache, lie back and lift up my shirt so my small bulge is in view. Dr. Stache fiddles around with the transducer and puts a special gel on it. He places it on my stomach and I squeal at the touch. It's so cold!

"Are you alright, Ana?" Christian wonders, panicking a little.

The doctor is looking at me with a shocked and apologetic expression.

I giggle. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just cold. Please, carry on."

Christian squeezes my hand and smiles in relief.

Dr. Stache switches the screen on and the inside of my stomach appears on screen. Christian and I watch the screen intently, waiting impatiently. Dr. Stache watches, too, and moves the transducer around my stomach, spreading the gel around. It feels so cold and strange. It starts to warm up, though, and I relax.

Suddenly, a shape appears on the screen and we make out a head and body. It really is inside me! Another little one. I gasp and Christian kisses my hand.

"It looks like…" Dr. Stache starts, moving the transducer around. He smiles and says, "You guys have a baby boy. Congratulations."

"Oh!" I breathe and look at Christian. He beams at me and kisses my lips.

"He looks in very healthy condition," Dr. Stache adds. Christian and my eyes widen. "Can you see his little heart thumping?"

"Yes. Oh, it's so cute."

"Wow," Christian breathes as he watches and kisses me again.

"Hang on…" Dr. Stache says and we both break from our kiss to look at him. We watch the screen, studying its shape. The shape looks odd now, not really a baby anymore. It almost looks like an alien and my heart sinks for a moment. But then the doctor moves the transducer around and the baby comes more into form. There is another sac. Dr. Stache grins. "Ah…there he is." He turns to our confused expressions and chuckles. "Congratulations. You guys have not one, but two baby boys."

Christian and I both gasp.

 _What!?_ I cover my mouth with my hand in surprise and utter happiness. My heart rate picks up and the beeping on the heart monitor speeds.

Oh, my…I have two little ones inside me. I am going to have twins! Who would have thought?

I look up at Christian and he looks absolutely joyful. There are tears in his eyes, just like there are in mine. He gazes at me with so much love that I nearly convulse. He kisses me deeply.

"Twins!" I squeal and he smiles wider. "We're having twins! Oh, I can't believe it."

"Yes, baby," Christian breathes, stroking my cheek. "Twins. Amazing. Thank you, Ana." He looks so awe-inspired and in love with me that I can't help crying harder. Tears roll down his face, too. He wipes them away and chuckles in joy and I join him.

"Thank you," he tells Dr. Stache who is packing up the equipment. The doctor smiles at him and nods.

"My pleasure. Would you like a picture?"

"Yes, please," I whisper, sniffing.

"I'll print one out." He smiles and walks out wheeling the equipment with him. He comes back around ten minutes later and hands me an ultrasound picture. He congratulates us once more and leaves us alone to our joy.

"Oh, my, God," I breathe a laugh.

Christian beams at me and wipes my tears away with his thumb. He looks into my eyes for some time and laughs. "I can't believe it. I never imagined I'd ever have twins. And I get to share them with you."

"Oh, Christian," I sob and kiss him with as much passion as I can muster. He responds and I notice he's much more gentle than usual. He pulls away after a time and he's smiling, glowing really.

"You have made me the happiest man alive," he breathes and pecks my lips sweetly once more. He touches his forehead to mine and we stay there for a time, breathing in each other's joy. Christian lets go and looks down at the ultrasound I'm holding and I look, too. He smiles and touches each Little Blip with a finger. "I can't wait to welcome these two into the world. Thank you, Ana."

I grin, glowing also, studying the picture. I cannot be any happier. We squeeze each other's hands and kiss again.

Just then, Kate walks in pushing a stroller with Jacob sleeping inside it and Elliot follows in after Kate, holding Ava. They both smile when they see us together, already smiling brightly at them. Ted follows in after, Taylor holding Phoebe.

"Mommy!" he squeals in excitement and races to my bed. He instantly climbs on top of it and crawls up to me, giving me a tight hug. I wince at the pain. I chuckle and hug and kiss him back.

"Theodore!" Christian scolds. "Get down. You're going to hurt your poor mother."

Ted lets go and hops off the bed, grimacing. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Monkey," I giggle. "Sit on that chair." I point to the one next to Christian and Ted happily sits on it. Taylor places Phoebe down and she, too, crawls onto my bed to give me a hug and kiss. She hops down and sits on Christian. Elliot sets Ava down and she runs and sits on a chair against the wall.

"Good to see Christian out of his meltdown," Elliot says, grinning. We all shoot him a glare. Elliot blinks. "What?"

"I wasn't having a meltdown," Christian complains with a taut jaw. "I was just really upset."

"Same thing, isn't it?"

"A little different," I cut in, and wanting to change the tense topic, I squeal, "Guess what?!"

Kate's eyes light up immediately "What?!"

Elliot smiles at me, cocking his head in question.

"I just had an ultrasound," I begin and Kate's eyes widen, her mouth open.

"What gender?" she urges.

"A boy," I grin and she squeals.

"Yes!" Ted exclaims in excitement and Phoebe pouts.

"Eek, I'm so happy for you!" Kate gives me a gentle hug and kisses me on my cheek. "I'm going to be an Auntie of 3!"

Christian and I both laugh.

"Actually…" I say slowly, prolonging her expression.

"What's wrong?"

"There are two buns in the oven."

Christian grins at me, liking my choice of words.

Kate's mouth is open wide and she has her hand on her face in disbelief.

"You're kidding!" Elliot exclaims as Kate shouts, "No way!"

"Nope," I reply, popping the P.

"Are you serious? Oh, my, God. No way. No freaking way. You're serious? Like, really serious?"

"Yes, Kate!" I exclaim, giggling. "We're having twins."

Kate hugs me again, this time a little tighter that I wince. She lets go abruptly and apologizes. Meanwhile, Elliot is giving Christian a bear hug.

"Congrats, bro," he says and Christian thanks him. Elliot turns to me and also gives me a hug and kiss on the cheek but very gently and awkwardly. "Congratulations, Ana."

"Thank you, so much, you guys," I say warmly and Ted and Phoebe both jump up to give me hugs and kisses. I giggle.

"Are you really having twins, Mommy?" Ted wonders, cocking his head and I grin at him, nodding.

"Yes, darling, we are."

"Yes!" He throws his hand up in the air in absolute excitement. Phoebe is still pouting but she doesn't cry. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"Aw, Bumblebee," I croon and kiss her forehead. "Turn that frown upside down." When she doesn't, I tickle her and she starts giggling, trying to avoid my hands.

"Momma, stop!" she cackles and we all can't help laughing.

"Are you excited for two new baby brothers?"

She groans and shrugs. "Boys can get boring."

"Thanks," Ted says sarcastically.

We're all laughing again.

"What's going to be their names?" Kate cuts in excitedly.

I laugh, sounding choked off. "We haven't discussed it, yet." I look up at Christian and he smiles down at me. "Seeing as we've only just found out we're having twins, we need to think of two cute and cool names together.

"Oh, do tell me soon!" she begs and I roll my eyes at her but otherwise nod.

oOoOoOo

I wake instantly from a nightmare, my heart beating fast, breathing erratic. The heart monitor beeps quickly, but starts slowing down. I hope it doesn't attract any doctors or nurses.

The dream felt so real. I feel like Jack is still spying on me, like I can feel his presence. But no, he is gone. He is dead. I rub my eyes to rid the thoughts away. I look around the room which is dark except for the light shining from under the hospital door. The clock on the nightstand catches my eye which reads 2:34am. Beside me on the chair, Christian is curled up with a blanket, his sculptured mouth parted as he sleeps. He looks gorgeous.

It takes a while for me to calm my heart but once it's calm, I notice I have to pee. Really bad. _Shit._ Strangely, I haven't needed to pee yet. But I notice now that it's because I'm wearing a stupid catheter. God, how embarrassing! I hate those. No wonder I didn't feel the need when I woke up yesterday. Strange…

Well, I don't want to pee through that now. I must get up. I really need to go. Sitting up carefully, I look between Christian and the hospital door. Knowing that I really should in case I fall, I really don't want to alert the nurse. Because then the nurse _and_ Christian will want to help me and watch me while I go in case I fall and injure myself.

No, I'll be fine. I'll be back before they know I'm gone and I'll be careful.

Taking a deep breath, I take off my covers off me and sit on the edge as a thought occurs to me. I'm an idiot. How will I be able to pee when I have a catheter inside me? Fuck… If I ask to get it removed so I can use the toilet, they'll say no, it's too dangerous. Fuck…

I need to stand up and stretch anyway. And grab a glass of water. My throat is parched and my mouth very dry. The glass beside me is empty. I pick up the glass and very slowly start to hoist myself up with my right arm, seeing as my left is in a sling.

Carefully I put weight onto my leg but pain shoots up my left one. Extreme pain. I can't hold back the scream as I collapse back down onto the bed.

 _Ow, ow, ow!_

"Shit!" I swear and clutch my leg. I never knew it could be this painful. It makes sense, since I was shot, the tendons shredded and my bone broke.

Christian jumps up from his chair in panic from my scream.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he growls through clenched teeth. His eyes are strained as he stares at me.

 _Oh, shit._


	23. Chapter 23 - Road to Recovery

**A/N: Yay, she's finally going home! Albeit, she is injured, but she will heal eventually ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Four**

 **Home Sweet Home**

 **Saturday, 9th September 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

White, fluffy clouds drift peacefully across the bright blue sky while the sun shines down on the earth to welcome a new day. Many people are walking about with bright happy smiles on their faces as they meet with others or walk their dogs. Although a warm, sunny day, the breeze is cool and feels nice and fresh on my face.

Today I get to go home.

I am happy to be outside and especially out of the hospital – I feel rather trapped up in there, actually. Apparently when I arrive home, my parents, Christian's parents, and Kate and Elliot will be there to welcome me home. I'm not particularly looking forward to all the attention, but it will be nice seeing them.

At the moment, although I'm heading home, I'm humiliated and frankly annoyed. I'm mainly annoyed because I'll have to endure this for a few days seeing as I'm not allowed to put much weight on my left leg yet. So, I am currently being wheeled out the hospital doors by Christian in a wheelchair. People stare as they walk past and whisper to the person next to them. When Christian signs me out at the reception, young kids in the waiting area will not stop staring. Nothing can be more humiliating.

Christian wouldn't have it when I started arguing that I was able to walk, so I am stuck in a wheelchair, covered in bandages and in a sling, while he gets to look his usual sexy and handsome self. Women ogle him as they pass and give me funny looks, wondering why someone like him would be with someone like me. I tense up, wanting to punch them all in the face.

I groan and cover my face with my free hand.

"What's wrong, baby?" Christian asks in a panic, bending down next to me. We are just to the side of the hospital doors and people are staring.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I say, waving my hand to brush him off. He doesn't move, just stares at me, his face etched with concern. "Look, I'm just embarrassed okay!? Please, keep moving. You're making a scene."

"Ana, I –"

"Go! Please. So many people are staring. I look bad enough as it is," I complain, trying to hide behind my hair. "I look pathetic next to you, actually."

Christian blanches and shakes his head. He takes my chin and looks me into the eyes.

"No. _Nothing_ about you is pathetic, Ana, especially next to me. You're gorgeous, baby, like you always are, no matter how you look. Who cares what other people think?"

"I care," I point out and he chuckles.

"You shouldn't. I don't. Because if they question your appearance, they are wrong. It's them who aren't beautiful, and I'm not just talking about appearances. The inside is what really matters."

I nod, agreeing with him, but I still feel self-conscious.

"Hey, stop this," he says in disapproval and presses his face up to mine. He runs his nose down the length of mine. "You. Are. Beautiful," he whispers between kisses and I melt. "Don't feel ashamed, Ana."

"I'll try," I sigh after a moment and he smiles.

"Good girl." He kisses me once more and stands up. "If people have a problem with my wife, they'll have me to answer to. Just relax, Ana. Ignore them."

"It's rather hard to do that when women keep ogling you."

Christian smirks and caresses my cheek. "I only have eyes for you, baby." I smile shyly and he moves back behind me, pushing the wheelchair towards the Audi Q7 SUV that had just pulled up along the sidewalk. Taylor hops out just as we reach it and he opens the back door for me.

I can't stand up with my wounded leg, so Christian picks me up bridal style and places me gently and effortlessly into the back seat. He buckles me in and kisses my head, then shuts the car door. I look behind me to see Taylor folding the wheelchair and placing it in the boot while Christian talks to him. Taylor shuts the boot and comes around to the driver's side while Christian sits beside me in the back seat. He takes my hand and kisses it.

"How are you feeling?"

I look up at him and see he really wants to know. I smile. "I'm coping okay. You?"

"Happy to have you back," he whispers and kisses my lips. I respond, grabbing his face and pulling him into me for more. I moan and he pulls back. He chuckles when I pout. "Nothing too heavy." He kisses my forehead and I rest my head on his arm. He wraps his arm around me and holds me close as Taylor pulls out of the hospital driveway, into the busy traffic.

oOoOoOo

"Here she is!" squeals Mia as Christian wheels me into the lounge room of our house and I am welcomed home by a crowd full of our family and friends cheering and clapping, chorusing, "Welcome home!" A banner hangs above the backyard doors, which reads, 'Welcome Home, Ana!'

My parents, Ray, Christian's parents, Kate, Elliot, their children, my children, Jose, Ethan, Mia, and even Justice and Hannah from work are all here to welcome me home. It is a surprise and I feel a blush conceive me. I hate being the center of attention, especially in the state that I'm in.

I groan and cover my face with my right hand, seeing as my left is in a sling.

"Ana!" Kate calls and gives me a gentle hug. "Don't hide. You're the star at this party. Help celebrate!"

"Oh, guys," I whine, looking from them all as they all smile at me. "Really. I appreciate this but…"

"No buts!" Mia scolds me. "Party will go on!"

"Seriously? But my birthday is tomorrow. You didn't have to do this, Mia."

"Oh, rubbish !" she waves her hand and takes a sip of the cocktail she holds in her hand. "This is nothing. And don't you worry – we're celebrating your birthday with another party."

"Oh, Mia –"

"No complaining!"

I shake my head and laugh as she goes off to chat with the crowd that has started conversing.

"Mommy!" Ted and Phoebe squeal as they come running up to me. I welcome them into a hug each with my right arm.

"I am so happy you are back, Mommy," Ted says as he kisses me. I grin and kiss him back.

"I am happy to be back."

We talk and cuddle for a little while till they get uncomfortable sitting on my one good leg. They are heavy.

"How about you guys go play outside with the dogs and Ava? Go on!"

"Yes!" They both squeal, faces lighting up and they run off to do just that.

I sigh and rub my face from the exhaustion of it all.

"You okay?" Christian wonders as he wheels me off to the side. He looks concerned.

I nod. "I'm good. Just…don't particularly fancy being the center of attention. You know that."

He chuckles. "I'm sorry. I couldn't persuade Mia otherwise. She was persistent."

"It's fine," I sigh and smile. "It's nice to catch up with all these people again. Oh, and here comes a few of them now. Oh, God help me."

Christian chuckles again and kisses my forehead. "I'll leave you to it." He walks off to the kitchen and starts talking with his parents and brother.

"Hey, honey!" Mom squeals as she gives me a hug and kiss. I hug her back one-handed. Ray and Bob each give me a hug, too. It is so good to see them again. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Coping, you know." I shrug and smile at them. "Seriously, you don't have to look sad or worried. I'm fine now, guys. I'm on the mend."

"Just as long as you stay out of danger," Ray warns, pinning me with a serious stare although he's smiling. "We may have to put you under house arrest."

We all laugh and then start talking about a bunch of random things, especially about what I'm going to name my new children. Jose, Kate, Mia, Justice and Hannah come along and begin chatting away as well and they are really happy I am back. I thank them and find I am eventually comfortable with all the attention.

"Kate, I really don't know names yet," I complain, getting tired of her nagging. "I'll tell you what I think is good, okay? Just not so soon."

"But there's only a few months left!"

"Kate," I beg.

My parents laugh and Kate pouts.

"I'm only trying to help."

"I know you are. Thank you. But I'll tell you when we decide."

"Got it." She grins and squeals. "Oh, I must check on Jacob! See you soon."

She walks over to his stroller and I am stuck with Mia talking animatedly about traveling. Eventually they disperse and I am observing everyone talking happily from the wheelchair. I feel rather glum because I can't move. Christian is nowhere to be seen and no one else can hear me. Well, that's a turn around.

I decide that seeing as everyone is preoccupied, they won't notice if I move over to the couch. Struggling, I wheel myself with my one free hand forwards and start giggling when I can't manage to turn around. People glance at me, amused.

"You okay, Ana?" Jose wonders and I grin and give him a thumbs-up. "Need any help?"

"No, thank you, I can manage."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Practice makes perfect."

He grins and goes back to talking with Ray.

For about another ten minutes I am getting used to wheeling the wheelchair around to go in the direction I want it to, but it's a difficult process with only one usable arm. When I reach the couch, the wheelchair keeps rolling back, so I can't get off it and move straight onto the couch without assistance. But because I am keen, I try it myself. I decide I can put weight on my right leg and use it to hoist myself up onto the couch, careful of my left one.

Glancing around me, I spot no one looking and carefully stand up on my right leg. It feels strange to stand and I am very unbalanced, but I try anyway.

I hop once and almost fall onto the couch but instead slip off the edge and fall onto the ground. Luckily I hit the ground with my right side, but it still makes me wince as I twist and my left leg hits the ground, hard.

"Ow, fuck!" I curse.

Shit. That didn't go as planned. Oh, now I'm in trouble. Crap.

"Great," I groan when I realize I can't get up on my own. There is no way. I can't use the entire left side of my body. "Um…could somebody help me?"

Jose sees me when he hears my curse and his eyes widen. Mia and Kate also see and hear and they all rush to my aid. Instantly, they gently hoist me up, careful not to touch my left shoulder and leg and sit me onto the couch.

"Thanks." I smile at them and they give me a look. "Sorry. I'm fine, really."

"Don't do things on your own, Ana, gosh," Kate scolds and she looks flustered.

"That was a hard fall," Jose says, shocked. "I saw it all."

"Sorry." I grimace. Then I cringe even more when I find two pairs of grey eyes staring furiously back at me. Christian has his lips pressed into a thin, compromising line, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Shit."

"Shit, indeed," he hisses and runs a hand through his hair. "How can I trust you? God, Ana." He walks up to me and takes my chin, looking me deeply into my eyes. "Ask. For. Help. Understand?"

I nod, trying to avert my gaze.

"Do you understand me?" he asks sternly.

"Yes, I understand," I sigh, rolling my eyes.

He narrows his and I bite my lip.

"Sorry."

He shakes his head and releases my chin.

"You, stay here. Do not move without assistance."

"Yes, Sir," I say, nodding curtly and giving him a salute. Kate, Mia and Jose are biting their lips, trying to keep laughter back.

Christian shakes his head in exasperation but otherwise smiles in amusement at the inside joke. He takes my chin once more, leans down and gives me a frenzied kiss.

"You are one challenging woman."

He kisses me again, this time softly and then walks off to fetch me a drink. He comes back and sits beside me and I know that I am being put on watch and that he won't leave any time soon.

I smirk at his over-protectiveness and happily converse with everyone who files in and out of the room.

Moments later, Christian tells me to stay and suddenly gets up and pulls everyone out of the room. I frown. What's going on?

Ted and Phoebe come out of nowhere, grins on their faces and jump onto the couch beside me. In comes everyone else singing "Happy Birthday" with smiles. Christian sits beside me and kisses my cheek. My mom is holding a beautiful white chocolate cake with roses. I blink and partly cover my face at the sudden surprise, feeling shy. Why is it so awkward when people sing you happy birthday? And why are they singing it today? I thought Mia said everyone will come again tomorrow…

Mom places the cake on the coffee table which a few people push towards me. They finish the song and I make my wish as I blow out the candles. I wish for Christian, me, and everyone else to have several years, hopefully forever, without any trouble coming into our lives. We all need a ten year break at least.

Everyone cheers and Kate cuts the cake because Christian doesn't let me. I have the urge to roll my eyes at him but I resist. We all take a slice of cake and chat while we eat. Everyone is just so happy today and I hope that my wish makes it stay that way.

"I thought Mia said everyone would come again tomorrow," I say to Christian who shakes his head and grins. He looks boyish with excitement.

"No. I want to spend the day with you." He kisses me and stares into my eyes, his shining. I blink and look at him in confusion. "I have a surprise for you. If you're feeling okay, I'll show you in the morning. I was originally going to take you to Hawaii, but then stuff happened and now you're too injured to really enjoy it so…I want to make your birthday special in another way." He smiles at me and looks at me with hope. I am giddy with excitement and love, grinning and clutching my hands together.

"Oh, my God, Christian," I cry in excitement. "You were going to take me to Hawaii?"

"Yes," he grins, caressing my face. "Don't worry, I haven't booked tickets yet which is lucky. We'll go as soon as you're healed."

"Oh, my, God. I…I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He kisses me sweetly and I wrap my good arm around his neck, hugging him close to me. We bask in our happiness for a while.

oOoOoOo

Before everyone says their goodbyes and leaves, they each give me a present and I thank them all for them and for coming. It's so good seeing them all again. Mom says she's staying in Seattle for a few more days and will visit me again, and I'm all for it. We give each other emotional goodbyes until everyone has left.

Hours later, Ted and Phoebe are still giddy with excitement and from the cake and other sweets they managed to consume but eventually we give them dinner and get them into bed.

"It's been quite a long day, hasn't it?" Christian asks me when we're tucked in bed, facing each other.

"It has." I yawn and grin at him. "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome. I'm so happy you're back, Ana." His eyes melt and he kisses me. "So, so happy. Get lots of rest. We're waking up early tomorrow. Before sunrise."

My eyes widen. "Why so early?"

He chuckles. "You'll see."

"Are we going gliding?" I guess, grinning.

"No, baby. Something else. I actually wanted to take you in a hot air balloon, but realize you will be much too sore for that." He sighs sadly. But a smile spreads across his face. "Then something else came to mind, something you can enjoy."

I kiss him and he responds, also grinning with glee.

"Sleep now. I don't want you cranky for your special day."

I pout. "I won't be."

"We'll see." He kisses my forehead and switches off the lamp. "Good night, Ana."

"Good night, Christian."


	24. Chapter 24 - Home Sweet Home

**A/N: Yay, she's finally going home! Albeit, she is injured, but she will heal eventually ;)**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Four**

 **Home Sweet Home**

 **Saturday, 9th September 2017**

 **Anastasia**

* * *

White, fluffy clouds drift peacefully across the bright blue sky while the sun shines down on the earth to welcome a new day. Many people are walking about with bright happy smiles on their faces as they meet with others or walk their dogs. Although a warm, sunny day, the breeze is cool and feels nice and fresh on my face.

Today I get to go home.

I am happy to be outside and especially out of the hospital – I feel rather trapped up in there, actually. Apparently when I arrive home, my parents, Christian's parents, and Kate and Elliot will be there to welcome me home. I'm not particularly looking forward to all the attention, but it will be nice seeing them.

At the moment, although I'm heading home, I'm humiliated and frankly annoyed. I'm mainly annoyed because I'll have to endure this for a few days seeing as I'm not allowed to put much weight on my left leg yet. So, I am currently being wheeled out the hospital doors by Christian in a wheelchair. People stare as they walk past and whisper to the person next to them. When Christian signs me out at the reception, young kids in the waiting area will not stop staring. Nothing can be more humiliating.

Christian wouldn't have it when I started arguing that I was able to walk, so I am stuck in a wheelchair, covered in bandages and in a sling, while he gets to look his usual sexy and handsome self. Women ogle him as they pass and give me funny looks, wondering why someone like him would be with someone like me. I tense up, wanting to punch them all in the face.

I groan and cover my face with my free hand.

"What's wrong, baby?" Christian asks in a panic, bending down next to me. We are just to the side of the hospital doors and people are staring.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I say, waving my hand to brush him off. He doesn't move, just stares at me, his face etched with concern. "Look, I'm just embarrassed okay!? Please, keep moving. You're making a scene."

"Ana, I –"

"Go! Please. So many people are staring. I look bad enough as it is," I complain, trying to hide behind my hair. "I look pathetic next to you, actually."

Christian blanches and shakes his head. He takes my chin and looks me into the eyes.

"No. _Nothing_ about you is pathetic, Ana, especially next to me. You're gorgeous, baby, like you always are, no matter how you look. Who cares what other people think?"

"I care," I point out and he chuckles.

"You shouldn't. I don't. Because if they question your appearance, they are wrong. It's them who aren't beautiful, and I'm not just talking about appearances. The inside is what really matters."

I nod, agreeing with him, but I still feel self-conscious.

"Hey, stop this," he says in disapproval and presses his face up to mine. He runs his nose down the length of mine. "You. Are. Beautiful," he whispers between kisses and I melt. "Don't feel ashamed, Ana."

"I'll try," I sigh after a moment and he smiles.

"Good girl." He kisses me once more and stands up. "If people have a problem with my wife, they'll have me to answer to. Just relax, Ana. Ignore them."

"It's rather hard to do that when women keep ogling you."

Christian smirks and caresses my cheek. "I only have eyes for you, baby." I smile shyly and he moves back behind me, pushing the wheelchair towards the Audi Q7 SUV that had just pulled up along the sidewalk. Taylor hops out just as we reach it and he opens the back door for me.

I can't stand up with my wounded leg, so Christian picks me up bridal style and places me gently and effortlessly into the back seat. He buckles me in and kisses my head, then shuts the car door. I look behind me to see Taylor folding the wheelchair and placing it in the boot while Christian talks to him. Taylor shuts the boot and comes around to the driver's side while Christian sits beside me in the back seat. He takes my hand and kisses it.

"How are you feeling?"

I look up at him and see he really wants to know. I smile. "I'm coping okay. You?"

"Happy to have you back," he whispers and kisses my lips. I respond, grabbing his face and pulling him into me for more. I moan and he pulls back. He chuckles when I pout. "Nothing too heavy." He kisses my forehead and I rest my head on his arm. He wraps his arm around me and holds me close as Taylor pulls out of the hospital driveway, into the busy traffic.

oOoOoOo

"Here she is!" squeals Mia as Christian wheels me into the lounge room of our house and I am welcomed home by a crowd full of our family and friends cheering and clapping, chorusing, "Welcome home!" A banner hangs above the backyard doors, which reads, 'Welcome Home, Ana!'

My parents, Ray, Christian's parents, Kate, Elliot, their children, my children, Jose, Ethan, Mia, and even Justice and Hannah from work are all here to welcome me home. It is a surprise and I feel a blush conceive me. I hate being the center of attention, especially in the state that I'm in.

I groan and cover my face with my right hand, seeing as my left is in a sling.

"Ana!" Kate calls and gives me a gentle hug. "Don't hide. You're the star at this party. Help celebrate!"

"Oh, guys," I whine, looking from them all as they all smile at me. "Really. I appreciate this but…"

"No buts!" Mia scolds me. "Party will go on!"

"Seriously? But my birthday is tomorrow. You didn't have to do this, Mia."

"Oh, rubbish !" she waves her hand and takes a sip of the cocktail she holds in her hand. "This is nothing. And don't you worry – we're celebrating your birthday with another party."

"Oh, Mia –"

"No complaining!"

I shake my head and laugh as she goes off to chat with the crowd that has started conversing.

"Mommy!" Ted and Phoebe squeal as they come running up to me. I welcome them into a hug each with my right arm.

"I am so happy you are back, Mommy," Ted says as he kisses me. I grin and kiss him back.

"I am happy to be back."

We talk and cuddle for a little while till they get uncomfortable sitting on my one good leg. They are heavy.

"How about you guys go play outside with the dogs and Ava? Go on!"

"Yes!" They both squeal, faces lighting up and they run off to do just that.

I sigh and rub my face from the exhaustion of it all.

"You okay?" Christian wonders as he wheels me off to the side. He looks concerned.

I nod. "I'm good. Just…don't particularly fancy being the center of attention. You know that."

He chuckles. "I'm sorry. I couldn't persuade Mia otherwise. She was persistent."

"It's fine," I sigh and smile. "It's nice to catch up with all these people again. Oh, and here comes a few of them now. Oh, God help me."

Christian chuckles again and kisses my forehead. "I'll leave you to it." He walks off to the kitchen and starts talking with his parents and brother.

"Hey, honey!" Mom squeals as she gives me a hug and kiss. I hug her back one-handed. Ray and Bob each give me a hug, too. It is so good to see them again. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. Coping, you know." I shrug and smile at them. "Seriously, you don't have to look sad or worried. I'm fine now, guys. I'm on the mend."

"Just as long as you stay out of danger," Ray warns, pinning me with a serious stare although he's smiling. "We may have to put you under house arrest."

We all laugh and then start talking about a bunch of random things, especially about what I'm going to name my new children. Jose, Kate, Mia, Justice and Hannah come along and begin chatting away as well and they are really happy I am back. I thank them and find I am eventually comfortable with all the attention.

"Kate, I really don't know names yet," I complain, getting tired of her nagging. "I'll tell you what I think is good, okay? Just not so soon."

"But there's only a few months left!"

"Kate," I beg.

My parents laugh and Kate pouts.

"I'm only trying to help."

"I know you are. Thank you. But I'll tell you when we decide."

"Got it." She grins and squeals. "Oh, I must check on Jacob! See you soon."

She walks over to his stroller and I am stuck with Mia talking animatedly about traveling. Eventually they disperse and I am observing everyone talking happily from the wheelchair. I feel rather glum because I can't move. Christian is nowhere to be seen and no one else can hear me. Well, that's a turn around.

I decide that seeing as everyone is preoccupied, they won't notice if I move over to the couch. Struggling, I wheel myself with my one free hand forwards and start giggling when I can't manage to turn around. People glance at me, amused.

"You okay, Ana?" Jose wonders and I grin and give him a thumbs-up. "Need any help?"

"No, thank you, I can manage."

"You sure?"

"Positive. Practice makes perfect."

He grins and goes back to talking with Ray.

For about another ten minutes I am getting used to wheeling the wheelchair around to go in the direction I want it to, but it's a difficult process with only one usable arm. When I reach the couch, the wheelchair keeps rolling back, so I can't get off it and move straight onto the couch without assistance. But because I am keen, I try it myself. I decide I can put weight on my right leg and use it to hoist myself up onto the couch, careful of my left one.

Glancing around me, I spot no one looking and carefully stand up on my right leg. It feels strange to stand and I am very unbalanced, but I try anyway.

I hop once and almost fall onto the couch but instead slip off the edge and fall onto the ground. Luckily I hit the ground with my right side, but it still makes me wince as I twist and my left leg hits the ground, hard.

"Ow, fuck!" I curse.

Shit. That didn't go as planned. Oh, now I'm in trouble. Crap.

"Great," I groan when I realize I can't get up on my own. There is no way. I can't use the entire left side of my body. "Um…could somebody help me?"

Jose sees me when he hears my curse and his eyes widen. Mia and Kate also see and hear and they all rush to my aid. Instantly, they gently hoist me up, careful not to touch my left shoulder and leg and sit me onto the couch.

"Thanks." I smile at them and they give me a look. "Sorry. I'm fine, really."

"Don't do things on your own, Ana, gosh," Kate scolds and she looks flustered.

"That was a hard fall," Jose says, shocked. "I saw it all."

"Sorry." I grimace. Then I cringe even more when I find two pairs of grey eyes staring furiously back at me. Christian has his lips pressed into a thin, compromising line, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "Shit."

"Shit, indeed," he hisses and runs a hand through his hair. "How can I trust you? God, Ana." He walks up to me and takes my chin, looking me deeply into my eyes. "Ask. For. Help. Understand?"

I nod, trying to avert my gaze.

"Do you understand me?" he asks sternly.

"Yes, I understand," I sigh, rolling my eyes.

He narrows his and I bite my lip.

"Sorry."

He shakes his head and releases my chin.

"You, stay here. Do not move without assistance."

"Yes, Sir," I say, nodding curtly and giving him a salute. Kate, Mia and Jose are biting their lips, trying to keep laughter back.

Christian shakes his head in exasperation but otherwise smiles in amusement at the inside joke. He takes my chin once more, leans down and gives me a frenzied kiss.

"You are one challenging woman."

He kisses me again, this time softly and then walks off to fetch me a drink. He comes back and sits beside me and I know that I am being put on watch and that he won't leave any time soon.

I smirk at his over-protectiveness and happily converse with everyone who files in and out of the room.

Moments later, Christian tells me to stay and suddenly gets up and pulls everyone out of the room. I frown. What's going on?

Ted and Phoebe come out of nowhere, grins on their faces and jump onto the couch beside me. In comes everyone else singing "Happy Birthday" with smiles. Christian sits beside me and kisses my cheek. My mom is holding a beautiful white chocolate cake with roses. I blink and partly cover my face at the sudden surprise, feeling shy. Why is it so awkward when people sing you happy birthday? And why are they singing it today? I thought Mia said everyone will come again tomorrow…

Mom places the cake on the coffee table which a few people push towards me. They finish the song and I make my wish as I blow out the candles. I wish for Christian, me, and everyone else to have several years, hopefully forever, without any trouble coming into our lives. We all need a ten year break at least.

Everyone cheers and Kate cuts the cake because Christian doesn't let me. I have the urge to roll my eyes at him but I resist. We all take a slice of cake and chat while we eat. Everyone is just so happy today and I hope that my wish makes it stay that way.

"I thought Mia said everyone would come again tomorrow," I say to Christian who shakes his head and grins. He looks boyish with excitement.

"No. I want to spend the day with you." He kisses me and stares into my eyes, his shining. I blink and look at him in confusion. "I have a surprise for you. If you're feeling okay, I'll show you in the morning. I was originally going to take you to Hawaii, but then stuff happened and now you're too injured to really enjoy it so…I want to make your birthday special in another way." He smiles at me and looks at me with hope. I am giddy with excitement and love, grinning and clutching my hands together.

"Oh, my God, Christian," I cry in excitement. "You were going to take me to Hawaii?"

"Yes," he grins, caressing my face. "Don't worry, I haven't booked tickets yet which is lucky. We'll go as soon as you're healed."

"Oh, my, God. I…I don't know what to say. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He kisses me sweetly and I wrap my good arm around his neck, hugging him close to me. We bask in our happiness for a while.

oOoOoOo

Before everyone says their goodbyes and leaves, they each give me a present and I thank them all for them and for coming. It's so good seeing them all again. Mom says she's staying in Seattle for a few more days and will visit me again, and I'm all for it. We give each other emotional goodbyes until everyone has left.

Hours later, Ted and Phoebe are still giddy with excitement and from the cake and other sweets they managed to consume but eventually we give them dinner and get them into bed.

"It's been quite a long day, hasn't it?" Christian asks me when we're tucked in bed, facing each other.

"It has." I yawn and grin at him. "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome. I'm so happy you're back, Ana." His eyes melt and he kisses me. "So, so happy. Get lots of rest. We're waking up early tomorrow. Before sunrise."

My eyes widen. "Why so early?"

He chuckles. "You'll see."

"Are we going gliding?" I guess, grinning.

"No, baby. Something else. I actually wanted to take you in a hot air balloon, but realize you will be much too sore for that." He sighs sadly. But a smile spreads across his face. "Then something else came to mind, something you can enjoy."

I kiss him and he responds, also grinning with glee.

"Sleep now. I don't want you cranky for your special day."

I pout. "I won't be."

"We'll see." He kisses my forehead and switches off the lamp. "Good night, Ana."

"Good night, Christian."


	25. Chapter 25 - Birthday Surprises

**A/N:** **Happy Birthday Ana! :) Does everyone like this story? Please tell me! 3 :D**

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Five**

 **Birthday Surprises**

 **Sunday, 10th September 2017**

 **Christian**

* * *

I wake to the alarm blasting music and reach to switch it off. It's 5am. It's really early, and maybe hard for Ana to wake up this early on her birthday, but I really want to take her out to see something that will arrive just before seven. We have about an hour to get ready and drive to the destination.

Today will be a busy, however relaxing day, and I am boyish with excitement. Firstly, I will take Anastasia up to Alki Beach Park, we will watch the sunrise, take walks, and relax on the sand and bask in the sun. She won't be able to swim yet because of her injuries, but I hope it'll still be fun. Following that, we will eat breakfast at IHOP.

Lastly I plan to take her out on our boat, _The Grace_ , and we'll spend time on there in the Puget Sound. Then we'll find some place to eat lunch and dinner. I'm not sure whether we'll go home to sleep or stay on the boat for the night – it's all up to Ana. But I plan to spend the entire day with her.

I have already arranged for Taylor to take the kids to my parents' house to be babysat. They will like to have their grandparents' company for the day and night if Ana and I decide to stay on the boat. We might come back so our kids can give their mother presents, wish her a happy birthday and eat more cake. We don't know if we'll get Ana to blow out another cake since she did so yesterday, so I'm thinking cupcakes or muffins instead.

I look over at Ana and still see her peacefully sleeping. I grin. It's amazing how she can sleep through the alarm. She must be so tired. She looks too beautiful and adorable to wake so I decide to let her sleep for a little longer. I cannot stop grinning as I get up and head for a quick shower.

All dry, as I pull on a shirt, pants and sweater, I am still smiling. It's now 6:22. Time to wake Ana up.

"Baby," I softly sing into her ear, shaking her gently awake. She stirs and mumbles. "Come on, Ana, wake up."

"No," she whines and her eyebrows crease.

"Wake up, baby." I start to pull the duvet off her.

She moans and clutches the sheets to her. I chuckle.

"Come on, Anastasia. I want to give you your presents."

"I want to sleep," she grumbles, making me grin wider.

"I am going to turn the bedside light on." She groans a protest but I turn it on and she blinks awake in the light. She finally opens her eyes fully and peers up at me. I smile warmly at her and kiss her on the lips.

"Good morning, beautiful," I croon, showering her face in sweet, gentle kisses. She giggles and tries to push me away. "Happy birthday."

"Oh," she says and seems more awake as she remembers.

"Yes. You're now officially 28."

"Oh. Good morning."

I laugh at her still partly disorientated expression. "Come, on, sleepyhead, get up." I gently smack her behind and she gives me a look. "We don't have long; it's already 5:32 am."

"Ugh, why so early?" she groans, sitting up carefully. "It feels like 3am."

I chuckle and kiss her again. "I know, baby. You can get some rest later, okay? I have a few surprises for you today."

"Hmm," she mumbles, rubbing her eyes from sleep. She yawns and stretches. "Ow." She holds her shoulder and winces.

"You okay, baby?" I wonder in concern. "How are you feeling? Because if you're too sore, we don't have to go out."

"No, no, I'm fine," she smiles warmly at me, though she still looks sleepy. "I'd like to go out, too. Just not so early." I chuckle and she giggles. I love her laugh – music to my ears.

"Here," I reach for the glass of fresh water and Tylenol I brought and pass it to her. "Take these. The doctor said to take two now and then to help with the pain."

"Okay." Two swallows and she's done. Luckily, Acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, is okay to take while pregnant.

"Good girl." I smile and help her out of bed. Although she protests, I pick her up and carry her into the bathroom to do her business.

"I'm not going with you in here." She flushes with embarrassment. "Go away."

"No, Ana, I can't leave you. You are disabled right now." I pull her pants down then gently lower her down onto the toilet, careful of her leg and shoulder.

She winces as I do and looks at me, pleading.

"Just go, Ana," I urge gently. I lean against the shower and wait, watching her.

"Could you at least turn around?"

I sigh in frustration but turn so my back is facing her and I finally hear her release. She exhales in relief and I turn back around to help her up when she's finished.

"I could've done that myself," she grumbles as I pull her pants up.

"I don't care if I see you, baby," I whisper and kiss her forehead. "I crave intimacy with you, you know that."

"I know." She rolls her eyes and I narrow my eyes at her. She smiles at me sweetly as I carry her over to the sink and she washes her hands. "Can I take a shower?"

"It'll take too long. Have one later, okay? Let's just give you a quick wash."

I undress her carefully and rinse her body with a washcloth. I dress her in panties, tracksuit pants as she has a cast on, and a beautiful blue blouse with a fluffy white coat. It will be cold at sunrise. I help brush her hair and brush her teeth, seeing as she's not hungry now and we will eat later. I help her into her one sneaker – she has a cast on the other leg – and put on mine. We are ready to go.

"You look lovely," I say and kiss her. She smiles back up at me and responds.

oOoOoOo

"Mr. Grey, Mrs. Grey," Taylor says in way of greeting as he opens the door to the family SUV for us. We both smile and nod at him and I pick Ana out of her wheelchair and into the car. Buckled in, and chair packed in the back, I hop in and Taylor starts the car and heads out the gate. I hold Ana's hand and kiss it, stroking my thumb across her knuckles.

"Where are we going?" Ana wonders, flushed with excitement.

I grin, way too excited. "Surprise, baby. You'll see soon. I want today to be very special for you."

Ana smiles and kisses my cheek. "You spoil me too much."

"I know," I breathe and nuzzle my nose into her hair, kissing her head. "I love doing it."

"I love you doing it," she agrees and she looks out the window as the trees and buildings pass. "I love you this excited." She turns to grin up at me and I peck her lips.

"I do, too. I want you this excited, too, especially for your birthday."

"Thank you."

"You don't know where I'm taking you yet," I chuckle and she nods.

"I know, but I know it'll be a good surprise."

"I'm glad." I kiss her and we snuggle into each other's warmth in the cold of the morning as Taylor drives to our destination.

As the song Too Good at Goodbyes by Sam Smith blasts from the car stereo, I watch, fascinated, at Ana who is nodding her head to the beat and looking out the window at the early morning light and sunrise. It's a beautiful image, both the sunrise and her. I simply cannot take my eyes off her.

She began to sing along with the song, and it blows my breath away. I love to hear her sing. It's music to my ears. I sing along with her and she whips her head around to smile at me. I'm not really comfortable singing around people, but I always feel relaxed singing around Ana. The kids love hearing me sing, too, and Ana and I sometimes sing them to sleep.

When we reach Alki Beach Park, Ana's expression changes from confused to excited to realization when she sees the water stretching out to the horizon, and very few people walking around the park and up and down the shoreline on the beach, this early in the morning. The reason why I prefer to go early or late, so there aren't crowds.

Anastasia whips around to look at me, her eyes wide, and face stretched into an ear-splitting grin. I grin back at her and kiss her hand.

"The beach?" she says. "That's what we're doing?"

"Yes," I say, filled with excitement myself. "First present."

"We haven't gone here in ages." She looks out the window again then looks back at me. She cannot stop smiling, and neither can I. "And it's something I'll be able to look at, even in a wheelchair. Oh, it's beautiful," she says, referring to the sunrise. "Thank you, Christian."

"Anytime, baby." She kisses my cheek as the car comes to a stop. Taylor comes out and opens Ana's door. I tell her to wait and hop out the other side, and come around to her side. I slip my arms underneath her body carefully, and she wraps her arms around my neck as I take her out of the car. Taylor already has the wheelchair out and set up so I place her in it. She pouts adorably but lightens up when I kiss her on the lips.

"No pouting," I command, and start pushing her. I nod at Taylor and he takes the car to park it somewhere else. "It's your birthday. Smile."

"Wow," she breathes. "Christian. It's so beautiful."

As we touch the sand, we gaze at the sunrise along the horizon, lighting up the sky with a gorgeous mixture of pink and orange. It's a nice view of the Puget Sound and Mount Rainier in the distance. It will be so much more relaxing on _The Grace_.

Anastasia asks me to take her for a walk along the beach with the amazing view. She has to be pushed in the wheelchair, so it's not exactly a walk for her, but I let her out and sit her onto the sand where she sticks her right foot – seeing the other one is wrapped up in a cast – in the sand and shallow water. I also take off own my shoes and socks off and copy her. I cuddle her to me as we watch the sun wake up.

Ana is embarrassed about being in a wheelchair around other people though I had no idea why. There isn't that many people around. She's only injured and it isn't temporary.

Though, later that morning, as more people arrive, many stare at us and I'm not sure if it's because Ana is in a wheelchair or whether they know who we are. It's hard hiding from the outside world, being famous. It's rather tiring sometimes, but also has its benefits. I don't want to sound cocky, but I love being first in lines for food or going to the movies or something else. Being rich is pretty amazing aside from all the hard work involved and the fame. Ana and I hate paparazzi.

We have an amazing time on the beach, as much as she can with a sling and bandaged leg. I loved seeing her laugh and her eyes widen at the gorgeous view of the sun lighting up the sky, shining down on the water and causing it to sparkle.

After the walk on the beach, I take her out for breakfast. Another surprise that makes her grin when we enter IHOP, get seated and ponder over the menus. I already know what I want, and I'm watching Ana as her eyebrows pull together in a frown. She is clearly indecisive this morning and it makes me chuckle.

"What?" She asks when she looks up from her menu. I shake my head. "Tell me."

"Your expressions are just amusing." She rolls her eyes. I nod at the menu. "Have you decided yet? Because I know what I want." And I pin her with a dark, lusty-eyed look. She gasps and I see her shift in her seat. I imagine her pressing her thighs together under the table.

 _Yes. I want you, baby._

"Um…" She is clearly dazed from my gaze. My lips can't help twitching in a smile. She shakes her head and blinks to get rid of the sudden tension in the air. "I think I'd like pancakes with strawberries, banana, maple syrup and ice cream."

I grin and scratch my chin, contemplating. I finally decide I'd like what she wants and I gesture to a waiter to take our order. A waitress with bright red hair tied up in a bun walks over to our table all flustered as she watches me.

 _Get over it woman, they're just looks. Plus, I'm already taken._

"Um…h-hello, I'll be your…waitress for t-today…this mornin'. How may I help you?" She has a heavy Irish accent and I want to roll my eyes as she stumbles on her sentence.

"Two servings of pancakes with strawberries, banana, maple syrup and ice cream. Two glasses of orange juice, a coffee, and English Breakfast Tea with the bag out."

The lady writes all that down and then stares at me, paying no attention to Anastasia.

"Is that all, sir?" she breathes, fluttering her eyelashes.

I just nod my head and give her a cool stare which sends her off. Thank God.

I roll my eyes after her and Ana giggles. I turn to look at her, smirking.

"Are you laughing at me, Mrs. Grey?"

"I am, Mr. Grey." She smiles at me sweetly, and I can't resist leaning forward and pecking her lips with mine. Her cheeks flush when I pull back and she bites her lip to hold a smile back.

"Ana," I warn and she looks at me, momentarily confused. I narrow my eyes at her, smiling. "Don't bite your lip. Only I can do that."

She grins and tries to look innocent, but doesn't let go of that lip. I shake my head at her in frustration but otherwise drop it. I start up a conversation about today, what she'd like to do after her next surprise, and she tells me she wants to spend time with the kids later on. She thinks it will be nice to go out to a restaurant for dinner with them, and I agree. I guess we won't be staying the night on the boat, but that's fine by me. Whatever makes her happy. Perhaps we could order takeout for lunch and eat on the boat for a change…admire the scenery as we eat.

The waitress comes back with our food and places them on the table in front of us. She walks away and then sets all our drinks on the table. She flutters her eyelids at me again and I set my teeth. She's getting on my nerves.

"Is that all, sir?" she asks sweetly.

"Yes," I reply coldly, not looking at her.

"Enjoy your meal." I turn to glance at her to give her another cold stare so she leaves quicker but see she's already leaving. She's waving her derriere side to side in an attempt to look seductive. Oh hell… I'm glad she's leaving – nothing about her is appealing at all.

"Admiring the view?" Ana asks me with a slight edge to her voice, her eyes following the woman. She's a little jealous.

 _Oh, baby. You have nothing to be jealous about._

I smile at her, my eyes sparkling. "I am, actually," I reply, because I haven't taken my eyes off of her aside the quick glance at the waitress. Ana's eyes meet mine. "You're gorgeous today, Ana."

She blushes and smiles. "Thanks." Then she looks challenging. "So, I'm pretty today, but I wasn't yesterday?" She cocks her head innocently.

I roll my eyes at her. "You're gorgeous every day, baby, you know that. And don't be jealous. You're the only woman that will ever catch my eye." I reach across the table and take her hand, giving it a squeeze. I bring it up to my lips and kiss it sweetly. I run my nose along it, causing her to catch her breath, before placing it down on the table.

"Eat," I say.

I pick up my knife and fork and take a bite. It's delicious. Ana does the same, and we stay silent as we eat, admiring each other. We start up many light and happy conversations, laughing a lot. It's good not to fight or worry, and laugh with her.

oOoOoOo

After breakfast, around 10am, I lead her back towards Puget Sound, and along the dock towards _The Grace_. Mac, my friend who helped me build her, still helps me with her even after all these years, and takes good care of her.

As soon as we reach _The Grace_ , I see Anastasia eyes go wide and her face breaks into a smile. I smile too; I love seeing her so happy.

"We're going for a ride?" she wonders.

I nod in enthusiasm myself and kiss her cheek. After I hop onto the boat, I help Ana by picking her up and placing her on a chair in the boat. I take the wheelchair, with some help from Mac who I had asked this morning to meet us here, and we set that on the boat. I pick Ana up again and place her back in her wheelchair. I thank Mac for helping set up _The Grace_ and he leaves.

I push her inside the cabin and stop her next to the couch, where I help her onto it. It's only the two of us on the boat today, but I am fine managing the boat alone. Thinking about what else we can do for the rest of the day, I head to the kitchen and fetch each of us a glass of juice and a bowl of grapes to share as a snack. I didn't get wine seeing as Ana is now pregnant. Thankfully, to my delight, Ana takes it without complaint and begins eating.

 _Good._

She studies me with curiosity as I pull open the draw in the coffee table, and pull out a wrapped present, handing it to her. I sent it to Mac to place it in here, so Ana could sit down here and open it. Ana smiles instantly and bites her lip as she eyes the package in her hands.

"Open it," I breathe, hoping she'll like it.

She slides off the ribbon and rips the paper to reveal lots of clothing. Her eyes widen and she squeals in delight, picking up a plain white baby t-shirt that has a striped blue tie. A matching one sits on the two pairs of black pants. There is another two pairs that are sailor-themed, and know will look adorable on our twins once they are born. I bought a few plain onesies in black and white and different shades of blue with captions on them.

One says, 'Born first' with an arrow pointing sideways, the other identical one says, 'Show off' with an arrow pointing at the other onesie. Another two have arrows pointing to each other as well, with the caption 'He did it'. There are two more that has 'Twin baby' on both; one has a highlighted A, the other a highlighted B, as in saying Twin A and B. I also got a couple of pairs of jeans, pants and t-shirts with cars, trucks, dinosaurs, dragons, animals and other prints on them.

When I shopped for them yesterday, I could not decide on just two pairs of clothing, so I ended up getting many. I grimace.

"Oh, my, gosh, Christian," she sing-songs, marveling at the clothing. She sorts through them all, thanking me for each and laughing at what they say. I grin at her expression, relieved she likes them.

"I know it's not the best present but I –"

Anastasia cuts me off suddenly with a kiss.

"It's an amazing gift, Christian. You've done enough for me already. I don't expect anything more."

"I'm glad you like them."

"Like them? I love them. I love all your presents." She frowns as she glances back down at them all. "You said you were giving me a _present_. This is much more than one."

For about half an hour we sit together on the couch, studying the clothes, talking about our future and past memories, laughing and just snuggling in the peace and quiet. I am so happy to have her with me, at this moment. The gentle whoosh of the waves and the squawking of the seagulls makes it even more pleasant.

For about three hours we spend out on the sea, enjoying the peaceful air, clear blue water and the beautiful scenery beyond. Ana leans over the railing of the boat in her chair many times as I steer _The Grace_ around the Seattle waters. I even let Ana steer sometimes while helping her seeing as she only has one good arm at the moment. She seems to enjoy the time despite her limited actions.

I end up cooking freshly caught fish and chips in the mini kitchen inside the cabin and we eat that around 1pm. Ana's eyes light up and she congratulates me on a job well done, one that I'm not talented at. I feel warm inside when she kisses me for something I'm still learning to do. But I have to agree; I love the fish and chips myself. I am rather proud of myself and Ana seems to love my boyish nature, like she always does.

oOoOoOo

Later that day, we lean against the boat rail outside, sitting on the built-in couches, when my phone rings. Ana is looking out at the sea and the landscapes beyond but turns to me in question as I fish out my phone from my pocket.

I grin when I see the number and answer it.

"Hey, Elliot."

"Hey, Christian," he greets me cheerfully. "How's your day with Ana been so far?"

"It's been great. Ana's happy. Is the room done?"

"That's good to hear, and yes the nursery's done. It looks amazing. It's all painted and furnished. I must say we did a great job, especially Kate. Her style is amazing."

I can't stop grinning. "Well, I can't wait to see it. I hope Ana loves it, too."

"She will. You can't not love a present from the Kavanagh-Grey's."

I chuckle at Ana who is staring at me nonplussed.

"Well, I better go. We're heading home now, so we'll see you soon."

"Cya!"

I hang up and slip my phone back into my pocket.

"What was that about?" Ana asks.

"Nothing you need to know just yet."

"What, why?"

I laugh. Her face can be so comical. "It's a surprise, Anastasia."

" _Another_ surprise?" she wonders, raising an eyebrow. "Christian, I've had way too many!"

"It's not just from me – it's from Kate and Elliot, too." I smile at her and kiss her head. "Let's head home now and meet them. They're dying to give their gift to you. I only helped with the planning."

"Oh?" Ana's eyes light up and she smiles excitedly.

I smile and head to the station where I turn the boat back on. I head to the steering wheel and turn us around to face north. Ana watches me as we pick up speed and I marvel at her laughs and big smiles.

We finally make it to the dock closest to home and head to the car. We greet Taylor as we hop in, and he drives us home.

"How has your day been, Mrs. Grey?" he asks her.

"I've told you to call me, Ana, Taylor. Please. It's been amazing, thank you." She has a bright smile on her face, one that I love to see. "How has yours been?"

"I'm glad to hear that. And good, thank you." He smiles and passes her a small gift with a bow.

Ana gasps and says, "Aw, Taylor, you didn't have to."

"But I did," he chuckles. "Open it."

"Thank you, Taylor!"

"You haven't opened it yet," I laugh and rolls her eyes at me as she opens it.

"Yum!" she squeals in delight, marveling at the two blocks of Cadbury chocolate. "Thank you, Tay!"

Ana likes to call him Tay sometimes for a nickname. It usually makes him blush for he isn't used to it. I laugh when he does.

"No, problem," he says shyly.

A few minutes pass and I see Ana biting her lip nervously, glancing between Taylor and the window multiple times. I frown and take her hand, giving it a squeeze to catch her attention. She turns around in question.

"What's wrong?" I murmur.

She shakes her head and shrugs.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine I'm just…" She takes a deep breath and looks back at Taylor. "Um…Tay?"

He perks to attention, surprised that she wants to ask him something.

"Yes, Ana?" He still sounds shy under the professional mask and it makes me laugh internally.

"Um…I just wondered how you are." Ana says hesitantly. "After the whole…episode."

I see Taylor's body stiffens at the memory and he frowns.

"You don't have to answer. I'm sorry to pry," Ana apologizes quickly, hoping not to hurt his feelings.

"No, it's okay. I'm…shaken but coping okay. I'll be fine soon," Taylor babbles through his emotion. He is very good at keeping emotions in check. The poor man – I wish there is something I could do for him. I can tell he is still in shock from killing someone, even if that someone was a sadistic ass.

"I'm glad." Ana still looks guilty for asking Taylor and I squeeze her hand in support. "I'm so sorry all that happened."

"Ana, it's fine. Don't worry about it anymore." He gives her a small reassuring smile and Ana smiles back. "You should be worrying about getting better."

It's good that Taylor and Anastasia has a more friendly relationship now, not just professional. I'm glad for Ana to have more friends, especially Taylor. I know Taylor is a person that prefers to be alone and just focus on work. But he is a very kind, friendly man behind his professional mask. I will never get rid of him as my driver and guard, frankly for the fact that he is a good friend, whether he states that himself or not.

oOoOoOo

When we pull up at the house, Anastasia is literally begging with hands clamped together to get cleaned up before we go out again. Laughing, I tell her she can once she meets up with Kate and Elliot and sees our combined present.

It took a little bit to plan and set up what with not knowing what Ana would have and with her being comatose in the hospital. Neither of us had wanted to leave her side. I'm glad I could get Ana out today, so that Elliot and Kate could finish off the nursery.

I help Ana into the wheelchair and wheel her into the house once Taylor opens the door for us.

Instantly we both hear Kate's and Elliot's voices ringing out upstairs, and it sounds like they're arguing about something.

"She'll be here any minute, just put it there!" Kate shouts frantically at her husband as I lift Ana up from her chair with a smirk and slowly take her up the stairs. She's looking at me, confused, but I put one finger to my lips. Taylor helps us by carrying the wheelchair up the stairs for us.

"Are you sure it looks fine here? I think –"

"Yes! Just put it somewhere, I hear footsteps." Kate gasps suddenly, realizing. "Oh! Shit, they're here. El, clean up that mess! I'm going to meet her."

"Fine, alright," Elliot grumbles, and I can imagine him rolling his eyes.

Kate bursts out of the old guest room with a huge grin on her face and hugs Ana awkwardly while I'm still holding her. I place her down in her wheelchair when Taylor sets it down and we thank him as he leaves.

"Happy Birthday, Ana! How has your day been?"

"Oh, wonderful! Tiring from my body still healing, but it's been remarkable. We went for a walk on the beach, went on the boat in the Puget Sound, and ate pancakes. He also gave me lots and lots of clothes for the twins. And Christian still thinks it's not enough."

"Oh, you spoil her too much, Grey!" She grins at me and winks, knowing that she's done as much herself.

"Hey, I can't help it," I say. "Now, are you done in there? We're dying to see the finished touch."

"What is it? Do you know what it is?" Ana looks up at me.

"Yes, but I haven't seen what they've done to our plan."

"Oh, just show me already!" Ana demands, pouting. "This suspense is maddening."

We all laugh and Kate goes to opens the door when Ted and Phoebe come bounding up the stairs and hugs my legs, giggling at our arrival.

"Happy Birthday, Mom!" they both say, grinning up at her.

"Thank you so much, sweethearts. I can't wait to spend it with you."

"We got you presents! Open them, open them!" Teddy shouts, handing one to her while Phoebe hands another over. "We bought it with our own pocket money."

Seeing as we are quiet rich, we don't see a problem for our children to start saving up now. Especially for Theodore since I vision him taking over my business one day. Practice with money will be good for him.

"Oh, guys, you didn't have to do that! Thank you so much." Ana grins and opens up Teddy's which is a box of Lindt chocolates. "Ooo, yum! Thank you, Teddy Bear." They hug each other briefly before she opens the other one, which is two books. "Oh, my, gosh I've been looking for these! Thank you, Bumblebee." They hug and soon we all are having a family group hug.

Kate clears her throat and we break apart, grinning. She knocks on the door and after a few moments of shuffling about, Elliot finally opens the door to let us all in and we get a proper view of the room. What meets our eyes is absolutely wonderful. Just like I had planned, but even better.

Ana's gasp and lit up eyes are worth it all.

The nursery is a baby blue, with painted white clouds covering the ceiling. Waves and a lighthouse on a rock are painted on the wall behind the two cribs that are amazing on their own. They're both brown with extra wood attached, shaped like a boat. A mast with a flag comes up at the front and a higher one at the back. A section of wood covers the bottom of the crib doors, where painted circular windows are portrayed. The bed sheets are both a mixture of light blue and electric blue, representing water. A teddy bear in a sailor outfit sits in each of the cribs.

More soft toys cover the shelves on the walls and the bookshelf near the corner. By that corner sits a rocking chair with a blanket over the arm and pillows set up. One lamp stands behind it. A dresser is pressed against another wall, which is also a changing table. There is also a window seat with blankets, pillows and soft toys. Two nightlights which are small red and white lighthouses sit on shelves either side of the cribs. Floorboards cover the floor though rug shaped like a shark with a smile evens it out. Another one, plain pastel blue, lies underneath the chair in the corner.

It is truly magical.

It's up there with Ted's and Phoebe's rooms. Phoebe has a fairy themed room with detailed painted walls and a bed made of branches and flowers. Theodore has a helicopter themed room with planes hanging from the ceiling over his bed which is itself a helicopter with his name as the number plate. Although his walls are a plain baby blue, painted clouds cover the ceiling. He absolutely loves it and doesn't need anything added.

Anastasia and I want to make their lives magical and even though we do spoil them a little too much, it's too hard not to, especially when you have almost all the money in the world. We do tell them no several times whenever we go out somewhere, because we couldn't always give them things. They have to learn to be grateful with what they have. We actually teach them by buying several toys and other items and giving them to charities, to children and people who don't have much and need them. They pick the toys out themselves and fill the trolley up.

"Oh, my God," Ana says in shock, breaking into my reverie.

"So, what do you think?" Katherine asks with a grin, clutching her hands together excitedly. Elliot just leans casually against the doorframe, smiling at their job well done. The kids are excited, running around the room and looking at all the toys. Typical.

"I…I…um…" Ana just blinks, looking around the room over and over. She had tears in her eyes, completely overwhelmed. She's utterly speechless, as am I. It makes me chuckle. "Let me just say that you guys are freaking amazing."

Kate squeals in excitement and claps.

"You bet we are!" Elliot grins.

"Wow. This is amazing. I…I don't know what to say. Thank you!"

"Don't say anything!" Kate gushes. "We're happy to help. And all of your expressions are worth it all."

Ana laughs and reaches out for Kate and Elliot to give her a hug which they do.

"Thank you so much, guys. This is…just wow."

"I'm glad you like it."

" _Like_ it?" Ana's eyes and grin widens. "I love it!"

"Okay, Christian, I think you better take Ana out before she spends the night in here," Elliot suggests with a grin, "Well to be honest, she is the baby of the family." He laughs, earning a smack from Ana. "Ow! Hey!"

Ana glares up at him and he tries not to laugh.

We have a little chat and one more look around the room before giving goodbyes to Kate and Elliot before they leave.

"Okay, how about you guys go play?" I say to Ted and Phoebe who grin and clap. "We must get cleaned up, then we'll dress you up and we're going to go out for a birthday dinner. How does that sound?"

"Yay! Restwant!" They both squeal simultaneously, jumping up and down.

"Okay, calm down, you two," Anastasia laughs, rubbing their heads before they run off to their own rooms. "Restaurant it is then."

"It doesn't have to be."

"I know. I want it to be." She smiles then looks at me seriously. "Now help me get washed up because there's no way I'm doing anything else without a shower or bath."

I smile and kiss her hand. "Your wish, my command."

oOoOoOo

"Can I have a bath?" she asks once I set her down on the bathroom bench.

"Um…no." I look at her awkwardly.

"No?" She raises her eyebrow. "Isn't that safer with only one working leg?"

"No, it's actually not." I grimace. "You're not supposed to soak the gunshot wound. Otherwise it'll unstitch and it'll hurt."

"Oh." She glances at the shower with worry, biting her lip.

"Ana," I whisper, pulling her chin, commanding her to look at me. "It's okay. I'll help you."

"Okay," she agrees after a long moment, letting me undress her and get her into the shower. We use a shower seat I had ordered so it's easier for her, and even though she winces at the water against her sore skin, she's braver than I expected.

"I always underestimate you," I say as I rub shampoo into her hair delicately, massaging her scalp.

"Oh?" She peers up at me in question.

"You're even braver than me the majority of the time."

"That's not true. Why would you think you're not as brave?"

"Just from what has happened over the past months. You've dealt with it more easily than I have."

She reaches up with her good hand and strokes my face. "You've done the best you can. Everyone deals with things differently. Besides, you're overprotective and love me to death." She smiles, her eyes sparkling. "You can't help that."

"No," I chuckle, kissing her tenderly. "I definitely can't help that."

It's silent for a time as I rinse her hair under the water. We relax in the precious time together, happy to be by each other's sides. Ana sighs suddenly, bringing my eyes down to her face, waiting for her to speak.

"I just noticed…" she begins with a smile my way.

"What?"

"No sex until I'm healed."

Realizing that, I groan and we both chuckle. "Definitely not."

"No Christmas sex." Ana pouts and I have to kiss her protruded lips.

"I know. It'll be hard for us. But we can spend time together some other way…watching movies…and stuff."

"And…stuff. And stuff? What do you suppose that 'stuff' may be?" She waggles her eyebrows.

"Hey, don't you get any thoughts, missy," I scold playfully. "Just…stuff. I don't know what."

"Mhmm," she hums knowingly.

"Ana," I warn.

"What? I'm not doing anything."

"Don't tempt me."

"Fine."

It's silent but the silence is perhaps worse. Ana can't stop smiling which ends up causing me to smile and ends in us laughing for no real reason at all. Laughing is contagious and it's just good to do it together, no matter what it's about. Even if it is about nothing.

oOoOoOo

"Table of four?" the waiter asks, looking directly at Ana as he says so. I tighten my hold onto the wheelchair handles and place a hand on my wife's shoulder, giving the young male a look that says to back the fuck off.

The restaurant, Osteria la Spiga, is dimly-lit, cozy and welcoming, a few people lost in conversation. This is one of our favorite places to eat out.

"Yes, thank you," Ana replies to the waiter politely with a smile, ignoring the clear jealously wafting off of me. Ana takes Phoebe and puts her on her lap on her good leg, while I hold Theodore's hand and push the wheelchair. The waiter leads the way to a cozy corner in the back of the room where we are seated in a booth. Perfect.

The waiter passes us our menus and smiles. "I'll give you time to order and will be back shortly."

 _Please, don't._

He eyes Anastasia a little too long for my liking before walking away.

"Hey, Mr. Grumpy," Ana calls my attention with a smirk. "Don't get all grouchy. It's my birthday."

I roll my eyes, smiling, and look down at my order. Teddy is sitting next to me, facing his sister who is sitting next to her mother. He looks at his menu and grins, shouting, "Pasta!"

Phoebe decides she wants the same thing as her brother, nodding vigorously.

"Which one?" Ana asks, placing her menu down, obviously contempt with her order. I do the same, craving a pepperoni pizza.

"Um…Spaghetti!"

"Yes!" Phoebe agrees with a grin. "Me too!"

Instantly, Teddy goes back to playing games on his tablet. He's been playing Fortnite on his computer most of the day at home, played games in the car and now he just has to play again.

"Hey," I say, taking the tablet away. Teddy yells and pouts at me. "You've gamed enough, don't you think?"

"No." He grins.

"Well, I think you have. It's Mom's birthday. We're supposed to be having a nice family dinner out and you're being antisocial. Mingle."

Teddy groans, rolling his eyes. "But that's _boring_!"

We laugh at his reaction.

"Why don't you sing?" I suggest.

Teddy hides his face in his hands, shaking his head. "There's too many people."

"But you're good!" Phoebe says excitedly. "Do it, do it, do it!"

And it's true. Teddy can sing very well for a five year old. We've even started videoing him a couple years back and put them up on YouTube. He is now fairly famous for his talents of piano, guitar and vocal. He amazes us all. However, we haven't posted one in quite some time due to what's happened this year.

Teddy contemplates for a while, slouching in his seat to hide, but grinning all the same. He is such a shy one.

"You know, there is a piano over there. You should ask if you can play. I'm sure they can make an exception."

"Really? Where?" Teddy perks up in excitement, looking all over the restaurant until he spots the grand piano and grins. He glances between Ana and I. "Can I?"

"We'll order first then ask, okay?" I compromise and he nods.

 _That got his attention_.

Just on cue, the waiter comes back and takes our orders. We talk while we wait for our drinks to arrive, and once they do, we take a sip, before Teddy and I stand up. I walk him over to the counter where you pay and wait. A female walks over and smiles at us.

"How may I help you?"

I look down at Teddy, encouraging him to ask. He just hides behind my leg, unsure. I chuckle.

"My son would like to play on the piano over there. I wondered if that would be okay."

The woman smiles and contemplates for a while. "Hmm…I think you might be allowed. Just a moment, I'll check."

She walks away to talk to a bloke that must be the manager and I see him nod, sending a smile our way. The waitress comes back and says, "Yes, you may. Hope to hear something good!"

I thank her and lead Teddy to the piano. He practically races for it, sits down on the bench and instantly begins to play a Bach piece. I grin when almost the whole restaurant is stunned into silence. There are whispers, "aww's" and cheers filling the room, enjoying the entertainment of watching a young boy play.

Teddy suddenly stops and begins playing The Scientist by Coldplay which he began singing to. It's amazing how well he remembers the words along with the sheet notes, timing them to perfection. Even more gasps and cheers filled the room and I swear it was completely silent now.

When Theodore finishes, he stands up and does a dramatic bow, while everyone else laughs and cheers. I congratulate him and I follow after him as he races back to our table.

I'm glad the food is out, because I am starving. The rumble in my stomach says it all. It makes me uneasy whenever I'm hungry. It actually took not long at all to make, for which I'm glad. Usually they'd make you wait about half an hour with your drink before serving your meal so that you'd buy another drink. Never mattered with us, for we have enough money, but it's still irritating, especially for impatient people.

The dinner is wonderful. So is the food and the family bonding time, chatting about many things, and listening to the kids ramble on about their day, the future and what they're looking forward to, like Christmas. We always love Christmas. The whole day is in fact wonderful. I love spending time with just Anastasia, and spending time as a family. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if they all weren't here with me today. I could not survive without them.

oOoOoOo

"Good night, baby," I whisper to Anastasia as we lay down in bed, cuddling, after putting the kids to bed. "Happy Birthday, darling. I hope you enjoyed today."

"Thank you." She smiles at me and yawns. "It was amazing, Christian! I loved every minute of it. Still do. Despite everything that has happened, it's been an amazing year. And I know next year will be spectacular, with the kid's futures ahead of them. We don't have to worry anymore. Not over much anyway." She takes a moment to chuckle and I can imagine her thinking about worrying about our kids as they grow up, the same as my worries. But those worries, I could handle. Just as long as they are safe, happy and with us. That's all I ask for.

"We also have two new additions to arrive next year. So that's definitely something to look forward to." We both grin and kiss each other gently, savoring the moment of just being together. We pull apart and stare into each other's eyes before I kiss her head and switch off my bedside lamp. "Sweet dreams, my Anastasia. I love you."

"Good night, my Christian. I love you, too," she breathes sleepily, cuddling close to me. I shift and wrap and arm around her gently, careful not to hurt her arm.

I see her gaze at me in the darkness, a soft smile on her lips, and watch her as her eyes droop shut. I watch her sleeping peacefully for a while in the darkness; the moon the only light, shining through the blinds of our window. I watch her for I don't know how long, savoring the feeling of her being there with me, of me being able to watch over her like a guardian angel.

I smile, thinking about today, and thinking of how many more years there are to come, out there to surprise us all. I don't know how long it is, but I find myself losing into oblivion, into dreams filled with light, happiness, my children growing up, Anastasia, our new children, and the future…


	26. Epilogue - Christmas

**A/N: Finally, the last chapter. Aww :( But, it is a happy ending :D It's been a joy writing this fanfic, and I am happy for those who came along for the ride! Thank you, fellow writers and readers! Much love your way 3 **

* * *

**Epilogue - Christmas**

 **Tuesday, 25th December 2018**

 **Christian & Anastasia**

* * *

Anastasia

"Mom, Dad, wake up, wake up! It's Christmas!" voices scream, waking Christian and I.

We both groan as we feel two lumps jump up and down on top of us trying to get us out of bed. I open my eyes and grin, shaking my head at my little mongrels. Christian is awake, too, giving me that cheeky look that says, 'It's payback time!' And oh, it was!

Theodore and Phoebe seem to sense what we're about to do because they squeal and scramble to get off the bed. But they're a little too late. Our 'Claws' catch them and we tickle them to the floor, getting out of bed ourselves in the process. Our children are a laughing, squealing, wriggling mess on the floor, and we can't help laughing with them.

"No…no…hehehe, stoooop! Mommy!" Phoebe pleads with me but I don't give in, grinning down at her. "Mom, it's…too…much! Hehehe, stop it!"

"Dad, noooo, stoop, it…hehehe…tickles! Hehe, stop, stop, stop, Dad!" Ted pleads with his father, trying to wriggle out of his grasp, away from 'The Claws'.

"We're sorry!" both Teddy and Phoebe finally say, giggling, and we stop.

"You're sorry are you?" I wonder, raising my eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure. Cheeky things you two are."

"Why we love you bugs," Christian says, kissing them each on their heads. "Merry Christmas, guys."

"Merry Christmas." I grin down at them.

"Merry Christmas!" they squeal, hugging us both. Christian and I wrap our arms around our children in a group hug, before letting go. Ted and Phoebe instantly start pulling us toward the door.

"Guys, let us get washed up first!" Christian pleads, laughing.

"Oh, hurry up!" Ted whines, jumping up and down. "I wanna open presents."

"Presents, presents, presents!" Phoebe agrees, jumping with her brother.

I sigh and roll my eyes. "Calm down, you two. We haven't given you any sweets yet, and already you're hyperactive!"

"Yeah, you probably woke up the twins," Christian complains.

On cue, we both hear crying and I whack Christian on the arm who gives me an innocent look.

"You jinxed it," I point out.

"Oh, c'mon, there's no such thing as jinxing things!"

"It's a word though, is it not?"

"All right, fine," he grumbles and kisses me. "Let's wash up then go take care of them."

"You guys go play, okay?" I tell our children and they run off screaming.

"Fortnite time!" Ted calls out, skipping in the air.

oOoOoOo

"Morning, little guy," I say as I lift Liam out of his crib. I cradle him in my arms to soothe him and he stops his crying the same time Levi stops his. Christian is currently rocking him. "Guess what?" Liam just looks at me funny. "It's Christmas!" And I lift him up in the air as I say the words, earning giggles from him.

Christian mimics me and zooms Levi in the air like an airplane. They can't stop giggling. When one cries, the other cries and when one laughs the other laughs. They are inseparable.

It makes me think back to when they were born.

 _On the 7_ _th_ _of February, 2018, after 39 weeks, I am giving birth to my two beautiful twins, and more than ready to welcome them into the world._

" _Here he is. He is beautiful! Congratulations!" the midwife says happily as she holds the first in her arms._

 _Liam Skye Grey comes out crying and ready to roar instantly, while Levi Christian Grey comes out not making a sound. Christian and I and the nurses fear the absolute worse when he is not breathing properly, having his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck._

 _Immediately, the nurses take him away, telling us not to worry, and do everything they can to bring him back to life. The nurse comes back a moment later with Levi in her arms, along with dreadful, heartbreaking news. Levi's heart had slowed dramatically…and just stopped._

 _Both of our hearts stopped right then._

" _Christian," I sob, not ready to believe it._

" _I know," he breathes, a tear rolling down his own cheek. He clutches my hand and gives it a squeeze._

" _Give…give him to me," I say desperately, "please." The nurse gently hands him over._

 _As I cradle our little youngest child in my arms, Christian stroking his small locks, I pray for God or whoever else to bring him back to life. We are all in absolute shock and heartbreak, just knowing he won't survive. But I do not give up, do not let the doctors take him away when they tell us that they have to._

" _Please, just leave us alone," Christian demands, wanting alone time with just the three of us._

 _Meanwhile, Liam is lying in his baby hospital cot, wrapped in a blanket as we both try nursing his twin back to life. He has already been tended too, and I am so happy he is alive and healthy. But I want his brother back._

 _Christian squeezes his tiny hand gently, kissing it over and over again, as well as his forehead and mine. I hug him in his pastel blue blanket to me, giving him as much warmth as I can. I kiss him over and over and just wait in anticipation._

 _Suddenly, Christian gasps as he holds the pulse point of Levi's tiny hand. He has slowly regained the strength of his heart and is coming back to life._

 _My mother's love and warmth has healed him._

" _Oh my God," I breathe, laughing and crying in relief. "Oh…Christian…he's alive, he's alive."_

" _Yes, baby." He is absolutely grinning. He kisses me. "Our baby boy is alive. Both of them." And he gets up to cradle Liam in his arms, giving him to me to hold._

 _I kiss both of my boys on their head, laughing again to see Levi's hand open and close. A moment later he yawns, at the same time his brother does._

" _Beautiful," I whisper, overjoyed._

Till that day, I am ever grateful to see him babbling, walking, laughing and playing with us and his siblings. We gave Liam his name for it represents a warrior and protector, perfect for the older brother of his twin. The name Levi inspired us as it means joined and attached, perfect because he survived his near death experience when he was born, which means he is joined to his twin brother, and cannot leave him. They are inseparable; I love my boys.

We carry the twins to the kitchen and place them in their highchairs to feed them. I finish with the pancakes and bacon, setting them on the table while Christian hands out the baby food.

"Phoebe, Theodore! Breakfast!" I call, sitting down at the table. Christian is already sitting down, taking turns in feeding himself and feeding Liam. I mimic him, feeding Levi and myself. The kids have not arrived yet. "Come on, guys, it'll get cold!"

Still nothing. What on earth are they doing?

"Don't you want to open presents?" Christian tries. Nothing. He gives me a confused look and chuckles. "Ah, that's alright, we'll just take them away."

"No! No, no, no, no!" both Phoebe and Theodore shout at us, running to the table and eating. "We're here!"

I chuckle and roll my eyes.

"What took you guys so long?"

"We were dancing and singing!" Phoebe answers Christian excitedly.

"Ah. You just can't stop with that, can you?" I grin at Teddy and he smiles innocently.

A few years ago, when Teddy was one and a half, he had started to sing and dance. He's gotten very good as years have flown by and he has grown more knowledgeable of words and remembering lyrics. His piano and guitar playing is a big help with his singing, too. He has so many talents for his age, which is all thanks to Christian, who has taught him over the years and even sings with him in their YouTube videos.

Their channel has several hits, which is growing fast, especially now that Theodore, my own son, had entered America's Got Talent earlier this year. The crowd was wild and the judges were amazed for a voice so big could come out of someone so small. He had gotten four yeses and made it a far way in the show, but sadly didn't win. He is still very popular on YouTube, though.

Because of that, he is fairly famous, famous enough to be noticed by Ellen DeGeneres. This July, she had unexpectedly sent us an invite to her show to interview Theodore in the mail and it had been an amazing gift. He was so thrilled when he saw her, because he loves watching Ellen on TV. We never thought we'd see the day when we finally got to meet her.

Theodore was even accepted to perform on the show. He reminds me a lot like these other girls on YouTube who can sing, who are his age, named Claire Crosby and Sophie Fatu. They are both very adorable, especially when they sang.

Ellen sends us little gifts now and then, mainly for special celebrations. We've seen her three times so far, and Theodore and Ellen are already best buddies. Teddy is quite shy, but when it got to talking about something he really loves, he lightens up drastically.

I am so happy for him and his future.

To top it off, mid-year, he entered an audition for a movie and had gotten the part. He was absolutely thrilled when he heard about it. The movie was an absolute success, even if he wasn't a main actor. He was thrilled to be in it at all, and he had two proud parents and three excited siblings. Or, we imagine the twins to be excited seeing as they don't understand everything about the world yet. They are only one, after all. Now, Theodore is famous to many eyes, especially seeing as he is the first son of Christian Grey.

I never knew so much could happen for Theodore this year. And we are all even more famous because of him. Not that that's a bad thing; I want Theodore happy, and besides, I've gotten fairly used to cameras in my face over the years.

"So can we shoot a Christmas video later today, dad?" Theodore asks, begging him with his hands clamped together. "Please?"

Christian thinks about it and shakes his head, making Teddy's face fall. "Of course, buddy! I was only joking."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"Okay, okay, settle down and eat. Then we'll open presents!"

"Yay!" Now both children were hyper. Including Charlie and Tango, who both began barking and whining right outside the back door.

"Oh, can we pwease let the dogs in while we open pwesents?" Phoebe pleads, looking between Christian and I, and Ted grins, nodding in agreement.

Christian and I share a look of contemplation, eyes narrowed, but we can't say no to the joy on our kid's faces and we agree. We all love family time.

"Yes!" they shout and jump for joy before settling and eating their pancakes and bacon…or more like shoveling them down from excitement.

Levi giggles that cute baby laugh of his and Liam copies him. We look to them and laugh ourselves. Christian pulls a face, causing them to burst with laughter. We love hearing those laughs.

oOoOoOo

"Mom, these say to you from Santa!" Phoebe squeals, running to me on the couch with three presents. I had a feeling I already knew, seeing as I was the one to wrap most of them, with the help of Christian, Taylor and Mrs. Jones. We were up late last night trying to hide the presents from the kids. They would not go to sleep, being too hyper. It was a nightmare. I know that they'll soon grow out of their hyper state and go to bed when told…or at least I hope.

I giggle as I unwrap them and squeal when I see 2 books in one, 3 in the second and chocolate in the third. I hug them to me.

"Oh, thank you, Santa," I say for the benefit of the kids, while winking at Christian who smiles and winks back. We've all already opened a few, and are just finishing up. But it's taking a while to get through the kid's presents, because we spoiled them again, of course. Especially seeing as we've got two new little ones to cater and spoil, albeit they don't get too much this year due to them being only one year old.

"Ahh, the new star wars set! Yessss!" Teddy squeals, jumping up and down while holding a Lego Star Wars ship set. He absolutely loves Lego. That, and gaming. And we won't forget about his music. "Thank you, Santa!"

"Ooo, Liam, Levi, look what I found!" Phoebe runs to them where they sit on the floor holding a giant present. "It's from Mommy and daddy!"

They both glance at us and grin before reaching out for the present. Phoebe places it between them and sits down with them, waiting for them to reveal what's inside.

Both twins have a look of big concentration as they each open one end, giggling all the while. We help them a little, showing them what to do to unwrap. They are absolutely adorable doing this, especially in their little Santa outfits. Meanwhile, Teddy wears an elf costume and Phoebe wears a reindeer t-shirt, skirt, striped leggings, and a bow in her hair to top it all off.

Christian and I don't really fancy getting dressed in costumes, so are both wearing our pajamas, (with plans on getting dressed once we're more awake – it is only just 9am, and the kids had woken us up at 7am) along with Santa hats.

Liam and Levi finish ripping off the paper and we watch their eyes widen as they study the big box that is a racing car set. We had already gifted them several books and other toys, big cars to ride in, tricycles, and a baby playground that was a castle. We can't help spoiling them.

They are mostly interested in the box and wrapping paper, though; Levi is biting on the corner of the box while Liam has some wrapping paper in his mouth. Shaking my head in amusement, I take it away from them so they don't swallow anything and give them their new baby toys to suck on instead. As they are teething, they love to chew and suck on things.

Teddy suddenly gasps, drawing our attention away to see him holding up four more games for the new Xbox that had been gifted by us. We laugh at his wide-eyed expression.

"How does Santa just _know_ these things?! How did he know you were going to give me an Xbox?"

I shrug, acting surprised myself. "I have no idea. Santa's just magical."

"Ahh, I love Christmas!" he cries, throwing the paper up in the air in his excitement. That suddenly gives him an idea. "Oh! Dad, can you do that thing where you video us throwing up the paper? Levi and Liam can finally join in, too!"

"Of course," he chuckles. "But the video camera's already going, remember? I don't need to do it." I laugh at his relieved expression, knowing he's too lazy to get up. "Anyway, open up your other presents first."

As we open up the rest of our gifts, there are several more shouts and squeals and claps of surprise and excitement from all of us, mostly the kids. I love seeing their lit up faces, and wish to see many more of their excitement for many years to come.

"Ready. On the count of three," Christian calls out as him and the kids hold bunches of leftover wrapping paper, including the twins. "3…2…2 and a half…1!"

"Whee!" the squeal as they throw the paper up in the air, letting it fall down on them. "Woohoo!"

I take pictures as they do, for extra memories.

I laugh as they all pile on top of their dad who is underneath the paper, and falls to the ground with the weight of his children. He laughs along with them and playfully calls out for someone to save him.

I cannot stop smiling at my family, and the fact that it's a special day I get to spend with them.

oOoOoOo

Christian

Christmas really is my favourite time of the year, even if that means I have to take care of four noisy and cheeky little monsters all day long. I usually only take care of the twins, seeing as Phoebe is in her first year of kinder, and Teddy is in his second year of preschool. But I love having them around. They mean so much to me, and I love being a father. I thank Anastasia, my beautiful wife, every day for giving me that wonderful gift.

Teddy suddenly gasps and calls out, "Mom, dad, Phoebe, it's snowing, it's snowing!"

He runs to us in the lounge room and looks at Ana and I, pleading. Phoebe jumps up from coloring in her new coloring book and joins him, jumping up and down.

"Oh, alright, alright," I say, grinning. They squeal and thank me. "But put your coats on! And I'm coming, too. Come on, Ana." I hold out my hand but she looks unsure. "Oh, c'mon, building one snowman won't hurt."

"Fine, okay," she giggles, taking my hand.

I help her into her coat after we put on our boots and I put on my coat before leading her outside. We have already dressed in clothes, so we don't have to bother changing. We see the kids already jumping and playing in the snow.

"Oh!" Ana suddenly gasps and runs back inside. "Christian, come get Liam! I've got Levi and the camera."

"Oh, yes, it's their first time! It's a shame it didn't snow earlier, but I'm so happy for it to snow on Christmas."

"A Christmas miracle."

We both walk out holding our babies, and place them on their feet down in the snow. They widen their eyes in wonder and look up at us uncertain.

"It's okay, baby, it's only snow," Ana says to both of them, crouching down to their height. She catches some in her gloved hand and holds it out to them. They look at the snowflake in delight, smiling. "This is what a snowflake looks like."

Levi giggles and makes a grabby hand for it.

"They are beautiful, aren't they?"

Liam laughs too, and I crouch down to scoop up some from the ground. I place it in his gloved hand and some on his nose. He giggles, screwing up his nose.

Anastasia and I both laugh.

"It's cold, isn't it?" Teddy says and looks up at me with a sudden grin and mischief in his eyes. Before I know it, he throws a snowball at me and it hits my face. Taken off-guard, I fall backwards, sinking into the snow. I laugh at his giggling and antics. "Yes! Gotcha!"

"Oh, it's on!" I say, getting up and scooping up some snow. He giggles and runs away, making me miss. I'm just able to catch him on the second throw. On the third I hit Phoebe and she joins in, too. But on the fourth I accidentally hit Ana and she looks at me open-mouthed and narrows her eyes, scooping up a huge ball of snow.

 _Oh, no._

I run away but she hits me on the back of the head, making me duck from the force and the cold. Jeez, is that cold! I can feel it slipping down my neck and I shiver, hastily brushing it out of my jumper. Meanwhile, everyone is laughing their heads off at me. I roll my eyes and scowl at Ana playfully, sending her a silent message that she'll have to watch her back. She bites her lip, trying not to smile but to no avail. I hit her back and we have a small snowball fight.

We tell the kids to stop eventually in case we hit the twins. They would fall and probably cry if they got hit. I don't think I could handle them crying at the moment, not on such a nice day.

"Snowman time!" Teddy calls and begins building with Phoebe. The twins watch them in fascination and wander through the snow carefully over to them. Levi falls in the snow and looks startled.

"Oh, baby, it's okay," Ana says, helping him up and guiding him over by holding his hand. Thankfully he doesn't cry. Instead, he surprises us all.

"Mama," he says.

Ana and I gasp.

"Christian, he said his first word! On Christmas!"

I grin. "What another wonderful present." I look over to Liam, thinking. "Can you say Dada? Come on, say Dada for me."

Liam look at me quizzically. I encourage him to say Dada few times, but fail and I pout. He giggles and finally says, "Dada."

"Yes!" It seems surreal for _both_ twins to say their first words on the same day, but they are twins.

"Oh my, gosh, both of them!" Ana is beyond happy.

I decide to help Liam, over to the snowman Ted and Phoebe are making. I don't want him to fall like Liam did. They are both just starting to learn to walk, so still needs something to hold onto most of the time. We are proud with how far they have developed. I am amazed that they have learned to say our names now. Well, they are really just sounds, but we don't care and just count it as words.

"Oh, here, you can help us," Ted says to the twins. He explains how to build a snowman as he and phoebe build. "All you have to do is build a big ball of snow on the ground to make a base. Then you build another ball of snow on top of that, and then another on top of that for the head. Then we use rocks for eyes, mouth and buttons, sticks for the arms, a carrot for the nose and finish the snowman my giving it a scarf. Got that?"

"They won't understand, Ted," Ana chuckles. "They're only ten months old."

They still look unsure, but the twins help put snow on the big body. A little bit, for they both fall on their bums after a time and busy themselves playing with the snow.

Ana and I help join in, following Teddy and Phoebe's instructions. Soon enough, we've made a whole family of snowmen, some bigger than the others. It takes me a little bit until I realize we've made us.

"Oh, it's us!" Ana squeals, noticing, too. "That's so cute. Well done you guys! You did amazing."

" _We_ did amazing," Phoebe corrects her. "You guys helped."

"Oh, I know, but you did the main part. They look awesome."

"We better get inside, kids, and make Christmas lunch," I say. "My parents, Mom's parents, Aunty Mia with Uncle Felix, Uncle Elliot with Aunty Kate, Ava and Jacob and a couple others are coming over soon."

"Oh, yeah! Yes!" Teddy and Phoebe squeal simultaneously and race inside. We let Levi and Liam walk inside themselves, holding their hands for help. They like to be independent.

"Time to start cooking, Gail," Ana says to Mrs. Jones who is already in the kitchen and looks up at me. "Want to help?"

I contemplate for a while and finally agree. "I can cut up vegetables, I suppose."

Ana laughs and hands me a cutting board with a few vegetables. "You can make the salad. I know you know how to do that."

I smile and begin chopping.

oOoOoOo

Halfway through cooking, our guests decide to come over and help out. The kids obviously play with their new stuff, while the adults talk at the table after helping setting it. I finish doing what I can in the kitchen and leave the girls, Gail, Ana, Ana's mother, Kate, and Mia to cook the rest while I join the others in chatting.

I hear Elliott's and Kate's rescuing animals business is doing very well, and I am glad to hear it. They started only this year, but have come a long way in one year. Ana's parents are doing wonderful, although nothing remarkable has happened in their lives. Jose still has his girlfriend he met in party way through the year, and they seem very happy together (for which I am extremely glad, meaning he will no longer flirt with my wife). Justice, I am still wary about, even though I know he knows not to do anything to her other than in a friendly gesture.

Felix says Mia is doing well with their baby and is due to give birth in January. They know it's a girl – we had a gender reveal party to prove it – and are deciding to name her Paris, and I think it's a wonderful idea. Mia met Felix in France last year and they have been dating since and have formed a strong bond over the short amount of time. Mia was ecstatic when Felix proposed to her in a Café in France and we all traveled to France for their wedding right near the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful ceremony, and I am happy for them. Felix decided he wanted to stay with Mia in America and they flew over and bought their own house. Only a few months later and I heard that Mia was pregnant.

Soon lunch arrives and we all dig in, sharing stories and laughter as we eat. So far, it is what I think the best Christmas I've ever come to celebrate. I don't know if that's because I know more people, my twins came along, what has happened in the past year, and all our family is happy with their lives, but there is something that is truly magical. It makes me very happy and content.

"Dad, dad, dad!" My two oldest kids and Ava come running up to me from upstairs an hour later. I am currently talking with the others in the lounge room with Levi playing on my lap while Liam is on Ana's. Jacob is now one and a half, playing with his new toy cars he got for Christmas on the floor. We all look up at our oldest kids in surprise.

"What, what, what?" I say in response to their excitement. They giggle, sharing secretive looks.

"Can we _please_ go on a helicopter ride, now?" they all say at once.

I contemplate, looking between them. Finally, I make up my mind. "Ah, one flight around the block couldn't hurt."

"YAY!" All leap up in the air and run to put shoes on.

I pick Levi off my lap and put him beside Jacob on the floor and stand up. I kiss both twins on the head and kiss Anastasia's before leaving.

"Have fun!" everyone calls.

The kids are already out the door waiting when I arrive to place on my shoes. I laugh, shutting the door behind me. We walk over to the special garage next to the house we had built not long ago, and climb up the stairs to the roof, where _Charlie Tango_ the helicopter stood.

I open the door for them and help each child inside, buckling them up, and climb in myself. I switch on the controls and start the helicopter up, hearing the loud whoosh of the propeller. After placing one on myself, I hand Ava and Phoebe who are sitting in the back seats, caps that they instantly put over their ears, and hand one to Theodore who is sitting in the passenger pilot seat. He always loves to sit next to me, helping me out with the controls and steering. It's good fun to teach him, and he says he wants to become a pilot among many other things when he's older. My little Musician Gaming Pilot.

"Ready, my little pilots?" I call through the caps and they all grin, nodding and squealing.

After the final touches, we start to hover over the ground and up, up, up we go!

"Here we go!"

They squeal in excitement.

With help from Teddy, we fly high over the many houses and roads covered in Christmas lights and snow. It's a gorgeous sight to see, even though it isn't dark enough to see the pretty lights properly. The snow is enough of a sight to behold.

At least once a month I'll take Anastasia, my children and occasionally Ava when she comes over for a play date or sleepover, on a helicopter ride. I love flying and they could never seem to get enough of it, either. It's very special to have someone to share this with. But I always do it on Christmas Eve night so we see the many Christmas lights a lot easier rather than having to drive around willy-nilly trying to find houses with good lights, and on Christmas day for the past few years. I did that last night for the kids, and they absolutely loved it. There is something just more special and magical doing it around Christmas, that we all love to share together.

"Whoa, the sight is always amazing up here!" Ava squeals, clapping. "I wish I had a helicopter of my own. Uncle Chris, why doesn't my parents get one? I'm sure they have enough money…"

I chuckle. "They do, but flying isn't really their thing. I mean…your dad or mom can't fly very well. They don't have a Pilot's license, anyway, and haven't bothered to get one."

"No, they can't fly," Ava giggles, agreeing. "I can just imagine them driving all over the place." We all join in laughing, and it's true what Ava is saying, for it did happen once or twice. Elliot had been very panicky that day, almost crashing us, so from then on, he's stayed back and lets me take the lead willingly. I laugh harder at the memory.

"Do you like being a Pilot, Ava?" Teddy asks. "I do, it's so much fun, and gorgeous things to see. Plus, you can get to places much, much, quicker for you don't get stuck in traffic. Sometimes dad will take me to school in _Charlie Tango_ , especially when I'm running late, so we don't get caught in traffic and I don't have to take the bus. But he can't do it all the time, because he's a very busy man."

"I love being a Pilot!" she squeals with another giggle. "Or I would if I could actually fly a plane or helicopter. That'd be so cool! I think when I'm old enough, I'm going to go for a license so I can fly one."

"That's exactly what I wanna do!" Teddy says.

"There'd be so many helicopters in the sky!" Phoebe says, joining in.

"Yes!"

"It could be like Star Wars, but us in ships instead of Helicopters!" Teddy exclaims, jumping in his seat.

"Omg, yes!" Ava agrees.

"What if someone made a plane or helicopter look like a unicorn? Then we could fly a unicorn!"

Ava and Teddy giggle.

"That's just silly," Teddy says.

"It is not!" both girls argue.

"Is too!" Teddy has a smile on his face though. He is always smiling whenever he is in _Charlie Tango._

I chuckle. Kid's imaginations really are something to cherish.

oOoOoOo

Anastasia

It's evening when Christian and the kids arrive home, time to go back out again for the Christmas concert in the city. Theodore has a spot to perform in front of others at the concert, which is a very good thing. He plans on singing while playing his mini guitar, and Christian plays the piano. I cannot wait.

Finally, everyone is dressed in dresses and tuxedos – including the twins, and they look utterly adorable – and ready to go. We drive to our destination in the busy traffic in separate cars, and we're relieved when we arrive.

Backstage, Christian, the kids and I flop down on the couches while we wait and have a chat. Alas, our extended family had to leave not long after for there were too many people in the one room, what with my own family and other performers practicing and smoothing out their hair or clothing before heading on stage. They will watch in the crowd, though.

What feels like half an hour – after watching the performances on the TV that hangs on the wall in the waiting room – we are finally called onto stage. I stay back with Phoebe, the twins and my mom – who is allowed to stay and help take care of the twins – while Theodore and his Father set out on stage. I can see on the TV that Teddy is very nervous but also giddy at the same time at seeing so many people there to watch him play.

Christian, – with the help of Teddy - starts off with a speech of thanking everyone to come here and watch them and other wonderful people that have already shared their talents and then tell what songs they will sing and play.

After a few nervous moments, Christian is all set at the piano and Theodore, in his cute as ever tuxedo, matching his dad's, sits on the stool holding his guitar, the microphone in front of him on a stand. It takes him a little while to start from nervousness, but he gets over it quickly and starts to strum his guitar, playing the notes of 'Silent Night.' Christian instantly follows on piano and Theodore begins to sing, shocking the crowd.

"Silent night! Holy night!  
All is calm, all is bright,  
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child!  
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,  
Sleep in heavenly peace!  
Sleep in heavenly peace!

Silent night! Holy night!  
Shepherds quake at the sight!  
Glories stream from Heaven afar,  
Heavenly Hosts sing Alleluia!  
Christ, the Savior, is born!  
Christ, the Savior, is born!

A round of applause instantly fills the room and I cannot stop the stupid, goofy big grin on my face. It seems, neither can Theodore and Christian. The crowd demands another song and Theodore now looks more comfortable, more than willing to play again. He sings a Michael _Bublé_ song.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas  
Everywhere you go  
Take a look at the five and ten, it's glistening once again  
With candy canes and silver lanes that glow

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas  
Toys in every store  
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be  
On your own front door

A pair of hop-a-long boots and a pistol that shoots  
Is the wish of Barney and Ben  
Dolls that'll talk and will go for a walk  
Is the hope of Janice and Jen  
And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas  
Everywhere you go  
There's a tree in the Grand Hotel, one in the park as well  
It's the sturdy kind that doesn't mind the snow

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas  
Soon the bells will start  
And the thing that will make 'em ring is the carol that you sing  
Right within your heart

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas  
Toys in every store  
But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be  
On your own front door

Sure it's Christmas, once more."

This applause is much louder than the first, the crowd amazed and inspired by the six-year-old playing guitar and singing beautifully for his age, before them.

"Wait, we're not finished!" Theodore calls and everyone stops clapping and laughs. "One more song, A Million Dreams from the most amazing Disney film this year, The Greatest Showman!"

More claps as Christian starts playing and they both begin to sing their parts.

"I close my eyes and I can see  
The world that's waiting up for me  
That I call my own  
Through the dark, through the door  
Through where no one's been before  
But it feels like home

They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy  
They can say, they can say I've lost my mind  
I don't care, I don't care, so call me crazy  
We can live in a world that we design

'Cause every night I lie in bed  
The brightest colors fill my head  
A million dreams are keeping me awake  
I think of what the world could be  
A vision of the one I see  
A million dreams is all it's gonna take  
A million dreams for the world we're gonna make

There's a house we can build  
Every room inside is filled  
With things from far away  
The special things I compile  
Each one there to make you smile  
On a rainy day

They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy  
They can say, they can say we've lost our minds  
I don't care, I don't care if they call us crazy  
Runaway to a world that we design

Every night I lie in bed  
The brightest colors fill my head  
A million dreams are keeping me awake  
I think of what the world could be  
A vision of the one I see  
A million dreams is all it's gonna take  
A million dreams for the world we're gonna make

However big, however small  
Let me be part of it all  
Share your dreams with me  
You may be right, you may be wrong  
But say that you'll bring me along  
To the world you see  
To the world I close my eyes to see  
I close my eyes to see

Every night I lie in bed  
The brightest colors fill my head  
A million dreams are keeping me awake  
A million dreams, a million dreams  
I think of what the world could be  
A vision of the one I see  
A million dreams is all it's gonna take  
A million dreams for the world we're gonna make

For the world we're gonna make."

Together, Christian and Theodore stand up and hold hands, taking a big bow in farewell.

"Thank you very much!" Theodore shouts in the microphone. "You've all been an amazing audience!"

Christian chuckles and pushes Theodore off stage after thanking the crowd as well. When they reach backstage, I open my arms up for my little handsome tuxedo boy and he runs into me, an enthusiastic grin on his face.

"Hi five, dude!" I say and we hi-five. "You were absolutely _stunning_ out there, darling. I still can't believe you can sing that well."

He blushes and hides in my neck, shy from compliments.

"Did I really do well?" he asks with a cock of his head, unsure.

Christian laughs and ruffles Teddy's hair. "Yes, you were perfect out there, Bear."

"Utterly fantastical!" Phoebe shouts, while moving Liam's arms in an attempt to dance with him. He just stands there, bobbing up and down while giggling.

"That's a big word," Theodore laughs.

"I read, so yes, I'm smart now." She looks smug.

"She's right you know," Ana replies. "You could read more, too, Theo, and build up that brain of yours.

He rolls his eyes. "Obviously. And nah…I can't be bothered."

"Are we going home now?" Phoebe asks.

"Yes, darling," I answer, kissing her head. I pick up Levi while Christian picks up Liam, and we lead the way out to the car where we meet up with the others to send farewells.

"I'm going to miss you, already!" Kate squeals, hugging me tight.

"Kate, we like, see each other every week," I giggle.

"Oh, I know. It's still long."

I roll my eyes just us my Mom comes up and hugs me.

"Well, _I'm_ definitely going to miss you."

"But mom, you live in Seattle now, not that far away. We will visit again soon, I promise."

"I'll hold you up to that."

We hug f0r a moment longer, kiss each other's cheeks and I go hug Bob and Ray who are waiting for me in open arms. I hug Bob first and Ray pouts mockingly, winking.

"You stay strong, Ana. We shall meet later this week, perhaps?"

"Of course, Bob. Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Yeah, we're not letting you run away any time soon," Ray says, hugging and kissing me.

"So much attention!" I complain sardonically.

"You're special, that's why," Jose says with a twinkle in his eyes.

I hug the rest of the family and finally we depart, going our spate ways home.

When we finally reach home, it's almost twelve, and I am exhausted. I know I didn't do a lot, but it's mostly what I did for the past month or so, buying lots of presents, wrapping them, cleaning up the house with Gail, and organizing food for Christmas. Also taking care of the twins and the other kids. That's a big job.

"Come on, into bed, buddy," I say, kissing Teddy goodnight and tucking him into his Helicopter bed. All children have been bathed and put into bed, I just need to put hyperactive Teddy to sleep. Probably still jumping around from all those sweets he had today and the day before form making Christmas cookies and gingerbread and chocolate houses. I giggle, trying to soothe Teddy. "Calm down, Bear. Otherwise I won't give you anymore sweets!"

"Nuuu!" he cries playfully as we smile at each other. Finally he stops moving and settles himself in bed.

"You did very well today, Ted," I compliment, kissing him. "Goodnight, darling."

"Thank you, Mommy." He reaches up and kisses me back. "Can I have one story? Please?"

"Oh, alright," I sigh and stand up to pick out a book. "Which one? A Christmas one?"

"Yes!"

"Hmm, how about A Christmas for Bear. Because you're my bear."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

I chuckle, snuggling up with him in his bed and begin to read.

Once the book is finished, I pop it away notice my sweet boy is already peacefully sleeping. I smile and take a moment to marvel at his cute face, so much like his father's.

I kiss him once more before turning off the big light, leaving his nightlight on, and whisper in the darkness, "Sweet dreams, my baby boy."

oOoOoOo

I walk into Phoebe's room to check she's still sleeping, and she is. I walk over and kiss her goodnight once more, then walk out to the twin's bedroom where I see Christian bottle feeding Levi in a chair. He smiles at my approach, causing me to instantly smile back. I lean down and kiss Liam's head in his cot, peacefully asleep, before heading to the rocking chair in the corner where Christian sits, rocking back and forth while feeding Levi. I smile and kiss both my boys on the head.

"I've already fed Liam," he says.

"Thank you. You two look adorable like this," I whisper.

"So you've said. Going fetch the camera to take more pictures of me, even if they are the same?" He winks. He knows I love taking pictures of him with our kids at every turn.

I roll my eyes. "I can't resist!"

His eyes narrow playfully. "Did you just roll your eyes at me, Mrs. Grey?"

He stands up and, after burping him, places Levi, into his cot and bids him goodnight. He falls asleep quickly. Then he stalks over to me. He stops in front of me and cups my face.

His warm breath mixing with mine, so close to kiss me the desire is unreal, he whispers against my lips, "I think you did, my love. We must do something about that."

He doesn't touch me, and it's so irritating that my breathing speeds and my lust grows with a strong force, wrapping around me, trying to urge him closer.

 _Kiss me, Goddamnit!_

"I can't resist that either," I breathe.

He sucks in a breathe, gazing deeply into my eyes with a sudden fierce lust swimming within his iris', his pupils dilated so much his eyes look a dangerous black. My body goes spastic with hormones.

Ever so softly he brushes my bare arms and my neck with his fingers, creating goosebumps. I shiver.

" _Please_ ," I whisper, "Christian."

And that's all it takes for him to slam his mouth to mine, sweep me up off the floor, and race to our room, turning the nursery light off on the way. Before we know it, our clothes are instantly ripped off. He sets me on our bed, eyes darting up and down my nude form.

"Gladly," he murmurs, kissing me softly this time, savoring the taste of my mouth as I savor his. And just like that, with a moan, we are lost in each other. He pulls back briefly to say something else, gazing deeply into my now dilated and lust-filled eyes. I just want to stop talking already and lose myself into him completely, combining our bodies and souls. "I love you, Anastasia Grey."

I smile. "I love you, Christian Grey."

"Forever and always," he says, quoting a saying we have come to repeat over the year.

"Forever and always."

* * *

 **Fin**

* * *

 **A/N: *sighs***

 **Or is it?**

 **I may be writing another story continuing this, from Theodore Grey's point of view as a teenager, as well as other fanfictions (mostly Harry Potter), so stay tuned! For now, thank you for all your lovely reviews, and support.**

 **Until next story, that's all folks! :D**

* * *

Just something a lil extra:

Poem by Anonymous:

A Bright Future

Just because your heart is full

There's always room for more

A bundle of new adventures

Soon arriving at your door

A little ball of fire

More than a ball of joy

Constantly in motion

An active little boy

Walking in his father's footsteps

An affinity for tools

And following his own drummer

And making his own rules

First you had each other

Baby makes it three

Now you have everything

A bright future soon to be

* * *

 **Christian and Anastasia's Wedding Vows:**

"I solemnly vow that I will safeguard and hold dear and deep in my heart our union and you. I promise to love you faithfully, forsaking all others, through the good times and the bad, in sickness, and respect you. I will share your joys and sorrows and comfort you in times of need. I promise to cherish you and uphold your hopes and dreams and keep you safe at my side. Al that is mine is now yours. I give you my hand, my heart, and my love for this moment on as for long as we both shall live."

 _\- Christian Grey_

"I give you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, to stand by your side in good times and bad, to share your joy as well as your sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals and dreams, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, to share my hopes and dreams with you, and bring you solace in times of need. And to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

 _\- Anastasia Grey_

* * *

 **A/N: Isn't that cute? 3 Well, goodbye everyone! I'm off to bed where I will read my book and cuddle my cat, Simba.**


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